Hattiesburg
268.3 F576s
Flake, Arthur,
Sunday school officers and their work
William Carey College
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I. E. Rouse Memorial Library
William Carey College
Hattiesburg, ^fississippi /
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2010 with funding from
Lyrasis IVIembers and Sloan Foundation
http://www.archive.org/details/sundayschooloffiOOflak
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS
AND THEIR WORK
SUNDAY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION BOOKS
in the Training Course for Sunday School Workers
In Diploma Group
Building a Standard Sunday School — Flake
In Group II
The Department Sunday School — Flake
or
The Rural and Village Sunday School — Flake and Lavender
The True Functions of the Sunday School — Flake
In Group V
Sunday School Officers and Their Work — Flake
The Church Library — Lavender
Associational Sunday School Work — Barnette
The Sunday School Secretary and the Six Point Record
System — Flake and Noland
Sunday School Officers
and Their Work
c.oj
ARTHUR FLAKE
Secretary in Charge of the
Department of Sunday School Administration
Sunday School Board
Southern Baptist Convention
Nashville, Tennessee
^M
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD
of the
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
/./,/
/
Copyright, 1923
The Sunday School Board
of the
Southern Baptist Convention
Nashville, Tennessee
Revised, 1936
Printed in the United States of America
3500—12-35—3
'^^ o
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
The Sunday school is the friend of childhood; the inspira-
tion of youth; the strength of middle life and the comfort of
declining years.
The Sunday school has God's day for its time, God*s house
for its place, God's Book for its text and God's glory for its
aim.
The Sunday school is officered and taught by Christian men
and women who are freely giving their time, talents, powers,
and money to the end that the lost may be saved and the
saved may be strengthened.
The Sunday school builds character, instructs the mind,
warms the heart, feeds ambition, encourages the faint-hearted,
shields the tempted, and points the way of life for all.
The Sunday school deserves the sympathetic support, the
prayerful interest, the loyal co-operation of every loving Chris-
tian, of every patriotic citizen, of every aspiring youth and
every prattling child.
The Sunday school stretches out a friendly hand to one and
all, old or young, and bids them enter in to the Father's house
and listen to the Father's voice as he speaks out of his Holy
Word. M. E. DODD.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
Foreword 7
I. Introduction 9
II. The Pastor 22
III. The Superintendent — His Position 37
IV. The Superintendent — His Qualifications 43
V. The Superintendent — His Preparation 53
VI. The Superintendent — His Work During the Week 63
VII. The Superintendent — His Work During the Week,
Concluded 77
VIII. The Superintendent — His Duties Sunday Morning 91
IX. The Associate Superintendents 109
X. The Secretary 117
XI. The Treasurer 129
XII. The Librarian 1 38
XIII. The Chorister and Accompanist 147
Questions for Review 153
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
During recent years keeping abreast of the progress and
development of the rapidly advancing modern Sunday school
has been no easy task. Time was when one could discuss
the work and duties of Sunday school officers with the feeling
that all Sunday schools were much alike, and that methods
which had been used successfully in one Sunday school would
necessarily prove effective when employed in other Sunday
schools. But that time has passed.
All Sunday schools are not alike and cannot be conducted
in the same way. There are of necessity many differences
among them. They do not have the same possibilities for mem-
bership. They do not need the same kind of buildings in which
to carry on their work. The duties of the officers in one
school are not uniformly the duties of the officers in another
school. TTiey do not need the same kind of an organization.
One Sunday school may need fifty officers to carry on its work
adequately, while a half dozen officers would easily take care
of the work of another school. Ten or perhaps even a smaller
number of teachers would be sufficient for one Sunday school
while another would require two hundred and fifty teachers to
take care of and teach properly all the pupils who should attend.
And yet, fundamentally, all Sunday schools are alike, and
all may be put to the same tests as to their efficiency.
All Sunday schools have the same constituency — men,
women, and children ; they have the same textbook — the Bible ;
they have the same objective — winning the lost to Christ and
winning the saved to service; they employ the same means of
building and maintaining — ^voluntary workers, voluntary at-
tendance and voluntary financial support; and the same meth-
[9]
10 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
ods are effective in reaching pupils whether the school should
have 100 or 1000 members. Therefore, in an inteUigent dis-
cussion of Sunday school administration methods, both the dif-
ferences and similarities existing among Sunday schools must
be taken into account. Likewise, Sunday school officers who
would be successful with their Sunday schools must recognize
that individually Sunday schools have marked differences as
well as marked similarities. This knowledge will furnish the
clue to the solution of practically all Sunday school problems.
Indeed, without such knowledge the highest success is im-
possible in properly building and maintaining a Sunday school.
Sunday schools may be divided correctly into two distinct
tjrpes or classes. Through these two types all other Sunday
schools may be located ; ail of them resembling in some manner
both extreme types, some approximating more nearly to one,
while the others more closely resemble the other.
The aim in this chapter will be to set out as clearly as
possible these two distinct types of Sunday schools and to call
attention to the factors that determine to which of these
types a Sunday school should properly belong. The aim is
also to set up some tests dealing with Sunday school efficiency
which every Sunday school must meet before it can rightly lay
claim to being an efficient Sunday school.
I. Types of Sunday schools
1 . First Type — The One Man School.
Of this class of Sunday schools there are at present ap-
proximately 15,000 in the bounds of the Southern Baptist
Convention. For the most part these Sunday schools are in
country churches, small tovv^ churches, and small suburban
churches. The working force in schools of this type usually
comprises about three officers, and from three to ten teachers,
graded and organized about as follows:
Officers — Pastor, Superintendent, Associate Superintendent,
Secretary-Treasurer, and Musician. Beginner Children, 4
and 5, one teacher; Primary Children, 6 to 8, one teacher;
Junior Boys, 9 to 12, one teacher; Junior Girls, 9 to 12,
one teacher ; Intermediate Boys, I 3 to 16, one teacher ; Inter-
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 1 1
mediate Girls, 1 3 to 16, one teacher; Young Men, 17 to 24,
one teacher; Young Women, 17 to 24, one teacher; Men,
25 plus, one teacher; Women, 25 plus, one teacher.
Here we have an organization of five officers and ten teach-
ers; besides, there should be a Cradle Roll and Extension de-
partment. While a vast number of Sunday schools of this type
do not mamtain the above organization, yet practically all
could observe the above grading lines and conform to this plan
of organization. Graded Lessons could be used in all such
schools at least in the Beginner and Primary classes, and they
could also be used in the Junior classes to good advantage.
In Sunday schools of this type all pupils and classes assem-
ble together and work together in one large room, usually the
church auditorium, with the general superintendent in charge
of the program. The superintendent works directly with the
teachers and has intimate personal contact with the pupils.
In times past, practically all Sunday schools were of this
type and many of them were mighty forces in Kingdom build-
ing.
2. Second Type — The Department Sunday School.
Sunday schools of this type are thoroughly graded and de-
partmentized. Each department has a department superin-
tendent, other department officers, and teachers, and holds its
sessions in a separate department room; also each class, at
least above the Primary department, having a separate room
for the class period. These schools use Graded Lessons in the
Beginner, Primary, and Junior departments; and many use
them in the Intermediate department.
The working force of a department Sunday school, which
is the ideal type, is made up of about ten general officers, eight
departments with an average of five department officers or help-
ers in each department and not less than twenty-eight teachers,
comprising a force of about eighty to ninety workers, besides
the officers in the Young People's and Adult classes. The
organization would be about as follows:
12 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
General Officers
Pastor, Superintendent, First Associate Superintendent,
Second Associate Superintendent, Third Associate Superin-
tendent, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian, Chorister, Pianist —
making a total of ten general officers.
Department Organization
Cradle Roll Department — Ages, birth through 3 — Super-
intendent, Associate Superintendent, Secretary, Nursery Moth-
er, Nursery Class Teacher, visitors — as many as needed —
making a total of at least fifteen workers in the department.
Beginner Department — Children, 4 and 5 — Superintendent,
Associate Superintendent, Secretary, Musician; first grade chil-
dren, four years, two teachers; second grade children, five
years, two teachers; making a total of about seven officers and
teachers.
Primary Department — Children, 6 to 8 — Superintendent,
Associate Superintendent, Secretary, Musician; first grade chil-
dren, six years, two teachers; second grade children, seven
years, two teachers; third grade children, eight years, two
teachers ; making a total of about eleven officers and teachers.
Junior Department — Boys and Girls, 9 to 1 2 — Superin-
tendent, Associate Superintendent, Secretary, Musician; first
grade boys, nine years, one teacher ; first grade girls, nine years,
one teacher; second grade boys, ten years, one teacher; second
grade girls, ten years, one teacher; third grade boys, eleven
years, one teacher; third grade girls, eleven years, one teacher;
fourth grade boys, twelve years, one teacher; fourth grade girls,
twelve years, one teacher; making a total of about thirteen
officers and teachers.
Intermediate Department — Boys and Girls, 1 3 to 1 6 —
Superintendent, Associate Superintendent, Secretary, Chorister,
Musician; first grade boys, thirteen years, one teacher; first
grade girls, thirteen years, one teacher; second grade girls,
fourteen years, one teacher ; second grade boys, fourteen years,
one teacher; third grade boys, fifteen years, one teacher; third
grade girls, fifteen years, one teacher; fourth grade boys, six-
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 13
teen years, one teacher; fourth grade girls, sixteen years, one
teacher; making a total of about thirteen officers and teachers.
Young People s Department — Ages, 1 7 to 24 — Superin-
tendent, Associate Superintendent, Secretary, Chorister, Mu-
sician ; young men, 1 7 to 20, one teacher ; young women, 1 7 to
20, one teacher; young men, 21 to 24, one teacher; young
women, 21 to 24, one teacher; also a class of young married
women, one teacher; making a total of at least ten officers
and teachers.
Adult Department — ^Ages, 25 and up — Superintendent,
Associate Superintendent, Secretary, Chorister, Musician; men
and women in separate classes, four or more teachers; making
a total of at least nine officers and teachers.
Extension Department — Superintendent, Secretary-Treas-
urer, about ten visitors; making a total of about twelve officers
and visitors.
3. Miscellaneous.
As has been said, between the two extreme types discussed,
there are a large number of Sunday schools, many of which
are fairly well graded and more or less departmentized. In
many of these schools the Beginner and Primary departments
meet together in a separate room, with a capable superin-
tendent in charge, for their opening worship, and then divide
into classes for the teaching period. The other departments
are fairly well graded, but, for lack of proper building facilities,
meet together for the opening worship with the general super-
intendent in charge of the program.
In other schools the Beginner, Primary, and Junior depart-
ments are well organized and well graded, and conduct their
own Sunday morning sessions separately, v^th a capable
department superintendent in charge of each one of the depart-
ments, while the Intermediate, Young People's, and Adult
departments meet together for the opening worship, the pro-
grams being conducted by the superintendent of the school, after
which they divide into classes for the lesson period, coming
together again for a closing service.
M SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
And now in many of our larger situations we have schools,
where it has been necessary to organize more departments to
make for efficient administration. Where this is to be done,
the best plan has proved to be to make new departments as
needed within the above described department age groupings.
The first move would, therefore, be to make two Junior de-
partments, putting all of ages nine and ten in one, and all of
ages eleven and twelve in the other; likewise, with the Inter-
mediates; then two departments for Beginners, three for Pri-
maries, and so forth. At least one of our schools has now a
separate department for each age from three through sixteen.
II. Determining factors
There are three main factors which play important parts
in determining how a Sunday school should be organized and
run. Let us see what they are and the influences they exert
ID determining to which type a Sunday school belongs.
1 . The Building in Which the School Meets.
The influence of the building in determining the type of a
Sunday school is almost absolute. The fact is, the kind of
building which a church has for its Sunday school will largely
determine the kind of Sunday school the church maintains, both
as to the character of the work of the officers and the quality
of teaching. This is an old truth newly arrived at and is just
beginning anew to grip pastors and superintendents and other
religious leaders.
( 1 ) One-room buildings.
A Sunday school that meets in a one-room building will
necessarily be compelled to conform to the kind of school
described under the first type. To be sure, the school may and
should observe department grading lines and requirements, and
Graded Lessons may be used in the Beginner and Primary
classes, and perhaps in the Junior classes. Likewise, the
corners of the building may and should be curtained or
screened and appropriate places made for the classes in these
grades. Also, the other classes in the school should be cur-
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 15
tained off where they may be taught to the best advantage
under the circumstances. But it is manifestly impossible for the
school to be closely graded and maintain a department organ-
ization and conduct separate department programs of music,
marches, and drill work in a one-room building.
(2) Department buildings.
How different is the case of the modem department Sun-
day school building. Here the situation is reversed. Instead
of the school's having to be adjusted to fit the building, the
building is planned and erected to meet the needs of the Sun-
day school and conforms throughout to these needs. Thus
we have the ideal, thoroughly departmentized, perfectly graded
Sunday school, with a suitable place provided for every of-
ficer and teacher to do the best possible work in ministering
to the spiritual needs of every pupil in the Sunday school.
2. The Size of the School.
( 1 ) The small school.
The type of Sunday school is determined also by the number
of pupils belonging to the school. A Sunday school of a
hundred members or less is not susceptible of departmentiza-
tion on a closely graded basis, but yields perfectly to the or-
ganization plan suggested for Sunday schools of type one.
In the administration of the affairs of a Sunday school of
this type the superintendent works directly with and through
the teachers and has an intimate touch with the pupils. In
small schools a large number of general officers are not needed,
and an elaborate department organization would be as much
out of place as would a large department store in a small vil-
lage or country community.
(2) The large school.
A large Sunday school cannot be conducted effectively as
a one-man affair, but should be departmentized with a full
corps of officers in each department. In the department Sun-
day school a large number of men and women may be as-
signed definite duties to perform. The people may be reached
for the Sunday school in great numbers. At the same time.
16 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
the work of the teachers, in behalf of their pupils, will in
every way be more effective. Sunday schools which are in-
strumental in the highest degree in reaching and properly teach-
ing large numbers of people are departmentally organized.
Small Sunday schools cannot be thoroughly departmentized
and closely graded, with a class for each age and the sexes
separate above the Primary department, with a large force of
general and department officers. But large schools need just
this sort of an organization and cannot be successfully con-
ducted without it.
3. The Attitude of the Leaders.
After all that has been said previously about the influence
of the building and the size of the Sunday school in determin-
ing the type of school which a church maintains, the attitude
of the pastor and superintendent towards the Sunday school
vsall have far more to do with this matter than all things else
combined. When these two men have the right attitude to-
ward the Sunday school and understand the needs of the
school, the old, poorly adapted buildings will disappear as if
by magic and beautiful modern Sunday school buildings will
take their place. Some of these old buildings will be re-
modeled, repainted and equipped to meet the needs of the
Sunday school. Other churches will build teaching houses,
two stories, three stories, and even four stories high, hard by
their present beautiful church auditoriums, suited to meet all
needs of the Sunday school. Others of these old buildings will
be torn down and new buildings will be erected at a cost of
$2,000, $10,000, $50,000, $100,000, and even $1,000,-
000, for the purpose of taking care of all the activities of the
church.
Again, when these two men, the pastor and superintendent,
understand how to organize and build great Sunday schools,
the large majority of the little, poorly equipped Sunday schools
will disappear and, in their stead, there will be well organized,
perfectly graded schools, with memberships of twice, three
times, and some even ten times the present size. Not one Sun-
day school in one hundred is half as large as it could be and
will be when pastors and superintendents master the Sunday
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 17
school business and determine that they will have nothing less
than the biggest and best.
III. Tests of Sunday school efficiency
It must not be concluded that a church cannot have a
good Sunday school and even a great Sunday school because
it is lacking in modern equipment, or because its possible Sun-
day school membership is necessarily limited. Pastors and
superintendents should take account of their opportunities, keep
a close watch on their Sunday schools and see to it that they
meet every legitimate test which may be applied.
It matters not where a Sunday school may be located, what
kind of building it may have, or how large its field of opera-
tion; every Sunday school should be doing the foUov/ing four
things: reaching a very large proportion of the people who
should properly belong to it ; really teaching the Bible to all of
the pupils in the school; constantly at the business of winning
the lost pupils to Christ; regularly at the task of enlisting in
service and training for better service all the saved pupils in the
Sunday school. In other words, a Sunday school should be able
to meet the following four tests :
1 . Numbers. 2. Real Bible Teaching. 3. Soul-Winning.
4. Enlisting its members in service. Let us see what each one
of these points really means.
1 . Numbers.
This does not mean that a Sunday school should have
1000 or 2000 members in order to be a great Sunday school.
It may have an enrolment of 1 00 or even a smaller number
and be a great Sunday school from the standpoint of numbers.
In other words a Sunday school is meeting the numbers' test
when it is reaching a large proportion of the people in the
community who should belong to it, be they many or few.
For example, the writer has in mind two Sunday schools:
one of them has a possible membership of 681, including all
the resident members of the church, all those who are of Bap-
tist preference, and all who have no preference at all. This
Sunday school has on its roll in all the departments 632 mem-
bers. The other school has a possible membership of 3960,
18 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
and has enrolled in all of the departments 1 442 of this num-
ber. The first of these schools is reaching 86 per cent of its
possibilities; the second is reaching 37 per cent of its possi-
bilities.
The first school is faihng to reach 49 people, that is, 1 4 per
cent of its possibilities. The second school is failing to reach
2518 people, that is, 63 per cent of its possibilities. It is evi-
dent that the first school is far more efficient when the numbers'
test is applied than the second, although the first has an en-
rolment of only 632, while the second has on its roll 1442,
almost two and one-half times as many. Thus it is seen that
a Sunday school is great in numbers in proportion as it is reach-
ing its possibilities. In other words, the number of people on
the outside of the Sunday school who should be on the inside
would be the true test of a Sunday school's efficiency at this
point.
There are those who say they are not working for large
numbers in their Sunday schools but for efficiency. They
would have us believe that large numbers and efficiency are ein-
tagonistic. They even go so far as to say that Jesus was not
after numbers, that he went after individuals, and not after
the people in great masses. They support their contention by
calling attention to his dealing with the Samaritan woman, Zac-
chaeus, Nicodemus, and Matthew the Publican. However,
in support of their position they neglect to call attention to
the feeding of the 4000, the feeding of the 5000, the addi-
tion to the church on one day of 3000 members, and at an-
other time the addition to the church of 5000 members.
There are multitudes of people in practically every com-
munity who are not in Sunday school. They need the Sunday
school ; the Sunday school needs them. The efficient Sunday
school will be deeply concerned for the welfare of every one
who needs the blessings of its ministry and week by week it
will be found diligently at the task of bringing them into its
membership.
2. Real Bible Teaching.
The second test of a great Sunday school is determined by
the kind and quality of teaching done in the school. Large
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 19
numbers and good teaching are not antagonistic. A large
Sunday school does not mean necessarily poor teaching ; neither
is a small Sunday school a guarantee of good teaching. It
may be said, in this connection, that it is as easy to have good
teaching in a school of 4000 as in a school of 400 or 100.
The writer's firm conviction is that the poorest Bible teaching is
done in small schools. However, this need not be true and
every Sunday school should stand the teaching test; if it does
not it is not entitled to be called a great Sunday school, no
matter how many or how few are in the school. Efficiency at
this point, more than anywhere else, perhaps, contributes
towards making the Sunday school a real school.
This raises another tremendously important question that
needs earnest consideration at all times by pastors and super-
intendents. It is the question of tohai is being taught in the Sun-
day school. Not only do Sunday school teachers really teach,
but do they teach the Bible, the truths of the Bible? Do they
teach the great doctrines of the Bible in all the departments of
the Sunday school? Do they teach Bible history, Bible geog-
raphy, and other Bible facts, for the purpose of making the
life-giving, life-sustaining truths of the Bible vital in the hearts
and lives of their pupils?
The Bible is a spiritual Book; its truths are "spiritually
discerned." The Bible is called the "Word of Life" (Phil.
2: 16). "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and
they are life" (John 6: 63). "Receive with meekness the
engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (Jas. 1 : 21 ).
"The word of his grace ... is able to build you up" (Acts
20: 32).
The purpose at this time is not to go into details and show
how every Sunday school may stand the teaching test. How-
ever, there naturally arises in our thinking in this connection
the question of the place and effectiveness of spirit-filled,
trained officers and teachers. Graded Lessons, a suitable build-
ing, thorough equipment, a good weekly teachers' meeting and
a monthly workers' conference. TTie suggestion is that pas-
tors and superintendents shall rigidly apply the teaching test to
20 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
their Sunday schools, and see that the Bible is really being
taught and made effective in the lives of the pupils.
3. Soul-Winning.
Certainly every Sunday school should stand the soul-van-
ning test.
Christ's mission to this world was to win souls; that was the
purpose of his coming. The Apostle Paul said, "Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sirmers," and should not we also
in all our Sunday schools have this as our supreme aim? In-
deed, is not the reason we organize our forces, grade our
schools, train our officers and teachers, erect our buildings
and earnestly seek to v^an large numbers into our Sunday
schools, that we may win them to Christ?
Pastors, superintendents, and teachers should candidly and
sincerely study their Sunday schools with this great test in
mind. First they need to get together in prayer over the lack
of soul-winning fervor and zeal in their Sunday schools. Next
they need to plan together to make the work of soul-winning
a definite reality, and then they need to work together con-
tinually for a harvest of souls.
4. Enlisting in Service.
Every Sunday school should be enlisting and using a large
per cent of the members of the church in its organization. If
the question be asked. Why the Sunday school should be put
to this test? the answer would be. Because the Sunday school
is the one organization in the church in and through which
every man, woman, and child may find a suitable place in
which to serve. The activities of the modern organized Sunday
school, with its departments and classes, are so numerous and
varied that every one who can be induced to serve may find a
task to his liking, commensurate with his time, talents, and skill.
Many Sunday schools have only six, eight, or ten officers
and teachers, when they should reasonably have fifteen, twenty,
or thirty. A great many Sunday schools have fifteen, twenty,
or thirty officers and teachers when it would take fifty, seventy-
five, or one hundred to take care of the situation adequately.
Large numbers of Sunday schools have only thirty-five.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 21
forty, or fifty officers and teachers when they need one hun-
dred and fifty to five hundred men, women, boys, and girls in
their Sunday school organization.
The churches are full of saved people who need to be en-
listed in definite service for Christ. Their idleness is not caused
by the lack of a desire to do something for their Lord. This
desire was formed when Jesus first came into their hearts. In
many hearts the desire to serve has lain dormant so long that
it has become weak and feeble, while in others it is still strong
and buoyant. The Sunday school is a place where every one
of these may have this heart hunger for service gratified, and
if all are not put to work and trained to do service in the
Sunday school, the vast majority of them will never realize the
joys that come only through serving Christ.
Undoubtedly this is the crucial test of the efficiency of a
Sunday school, for, if this test is met, the other three will
follow as the day follows the night.
CHAPTER II
THE PASTOR
Because only one chapter in this study is being devoted to
a consideration of the work of the pastor and a half-dozen
chapters or more to that of the superintendent, it should not be
construed that the pastor's place in the Sunday school is of less
importance than that of the superintendent's. This is not true
by any means. The pastor is concerned chiefly with the
spiritual life of the school, while the superintendent must of
necessity devote a large share of his time and attention to
methods of work and how to get things done. Therefore,
much more time and space are required in this study to discuss,
in detail, the work and duties of the superintendent than of the
pastor.
It takes both of these men to run a Sunday school — the
pastor and the superintendent. Each has his particular place
and work in the Sunday school and neither can take the place
or do the work of the other. They are also inter-dependent;
neither can succeed in the highest degree without the whole-
hearted, intelligent support and co-operation of the other. One
of our leading pastors differentiates the work of the pastor and
superintendent, thus: "The work of the superintendent is prac-
tical and that of the pastor is inspirational. The superintendent
has to do with the mechanical, the pastor with the dynamic.
The superintendent is concerned with organizing the forces, the
pastor with their creation and their morale. One places the
soldiers at the front, the other keeps the home fires burning."
Let us first take a brief glance at the pastor's place in the
Sunday school, next make suggestions concerning some things
he should not do, and then present a study of what he should
do.
[2S]
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 23
I. The pastor's place and power
The pastor of the church is pastor of every activity of the
church. He is pastor of the Sunday school, the Training Union,
the W.M.U., and every other organization and church activ-
ity. He is the under-shepherd, the overseer, the spiritual
leader of the entire church — of all the members of the church
and every activity in the church — and he is so by divine ap-
pointment. This relationship is therefore a holy one.
In view of this relationship it seems very improper and un-
fortunate to speak of the pastor as the "chief officer" of the
Sunday school, this would seem to circumscribe his work and
limit his prerogative. If it is correct to call the pastor the
chief officer of the Sunday school, it would also be correct to
call him the "chief officer" of the Training Union, the "chief
officer" of the W.M.U., and the "chief officer" of every other
organization in the church. Is it not enough to say that the
pastor of the church is the pastor of the Sunday school, with
all that the term implies? In this connection let us note some
of the pastor's prerogatives.
1 . He Should Have General Oversight of the Sunday
School.
In suggesting that the pastor have general oversight of the
Sunday school, we do not mean that the pastor should be the
executive officer of the Sunday school or that he is to run the
Sunday school, but rather that he is the chief counselor of the
Sunday school, always ready v^th his advice and counsel when
and where most needed.
The Sunday school being a part of the pastor's work, he
should, of course, be vitally interested in its success, and he
should be so well informed about all phases of the work that
suggestions from him would be of the greatest value and
would be gladly received by the superintendent and all of the
other officers and teachers. The success of the pastor's
ministry is so closely bound up with the success of his Sunday
school that to neglect it would be to cripple seriously his work
and limit his usefulness.
24 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
2. He Should Lead in the Teaching.
One of the New Testament qualifications of a pastor is that
he must be "apt to teach." He is also enjoined to "Com-
mit the word to faithful men who are able to teach others
also." A good Sunday school gives the pastor an oppor-
tunity in which to develop his people through a teaching min-
istry. The pastor certainly should teach his teachers, and
through them he can teach the entire church membership and
scores of people who are not yet members.
Evidently the pastor should teach and train the leaders in
his church. This duty is a part of his work as pastor of the
church, and he cannot transfer this obligation to others and
at the same time fulfil his mission in the highest degree. His
preparation should fit him for teaching his teachers the Bible
and all the books in the Training Course for Sunday School
Workers.
II. What the pastor should not do
1 . He Should Not Be Superintendent of the Sunday-
School.
The pastor should not be superintendent of the Sunday
school. He will need a superintendent, and he should see that
the church elects the best man for the place ; and then he should
help him to be the best superintendent possible. Neither
should the pastor infringe upon the authority and prerogatives
of the superintendent; he should not announce plans for the
school, appoint officers and teachers, transfer classes from
one room to another, and otherwise assume the direct leader-
ship of the Sunday school. These are the duties of the super-
intendent and the pastor should expect the superintendent to
attend to them. The pastor should not run the Sunday
school, but he should be ready to help the superintendent with
his advice and counsel at all times.
2. He Should Not Run the Sunday School.
Should the pastor undertake the active management of the
Sunday school, appointing officers and teachers, grading the
school, classifying the pupils, doing general Sunday school
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 25
visiting, ushering pupils to their seats, conducting the Sunday
morning program, and leading the music, no matter how well
he may be able to do these things, he will find that the results
will not be satisfactory in the end. Usually three things in-
evitably will result if the pastor undertakes to run the Sunday
school.
(1) He will neglect other things that he should do.
The pastor will not have the time to run the Sunday school
and at the same time attend to his other duties. Even in a
very small church the pastor will have his hands full if he gives
his attention to the things which need him, and which cannot
be done by any one else. The pastor may be able to run the
Sunday school perhaps better than the superintendent; indeed,
he might make a first-class superintendent, but it would be
impossible for him to be a good superintendent and a good
pastor at one and the same time. The pastor cannot run the
Sunday school, properly prepare his sermons, do the necessary
reading and study, minister to the sick and respond to the
multitudinous calls which would seem to have a right to his
attention. It is impossible. The pastor cannot do every-
thing himself and he should not try.
(2) He will do worJi that some one else should do.
The pastor who undertakes to do everything will soon
have a church full of people who cannot do anything. One
of the pastor's greatest opportunities for service will be found
in developing capable leaders for all activities in the church.
Certainly it would be a sad commentary on his ability as
"overseer" if, after he had been pastor for even a short
time, he did not have a man in his church capable of being
superintendent of the Sunday school. There is something
wrong when the pastor is superintendent of the Sunday school,
training union director, doing the work of an usher, or per-
haps the janitor. When this state of affairs exists, it is be-
cause the pastor has failed to develop his people ; he has been
too busy doing their work to enlist, train, and direct them to
do the work that they should do.
26 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
(3) He will develop opportunities for arousing opposition.
When the pastor assumes active management of the Sunday
school, or when he unwisely intrudes his opinions or infringes
upon the prerogatives and duties of the superintendent, he is
certain to arouse opposition and create dissatisfaction. It
may never manifest itself outwardly, but eventually there will
be a slackening of interest and enthusiasm all along the line.
The pastor and superintendent are yoke-fellows in a great
task and they should be brothers indeed, at all times showing
the greatest consideration for each other.
III. What the pastor should do
The pastor owes time and thought to his Sunday school,
both for the work's sake and for the effectiveness of his
ministry.
1. He Should Attend the Sunday School Regularly.
The pastor should attend the Sunday school promptly on
Sunday morning. His presence will greatly encourage the
superintendent as well as all the other officers and teachers,
and will be an inspiration and joy to the entire school. He
will also be able to make a study of the school before it opens
and during the period of opening worship, and in this way
learn many things about the school which he could not know
in any other way.
2. He May Teach a Class.
There is no rule to govern what the pastor should do at
this point. If he wants to teach a class, he should do so by
all means. Many pastors get great joy out of teaching a class
of men. Pastors also testify that they have been able to broaden
and strengthen their ministry in this way. Some men will join
the pastor's class who would not otherwise attend the Sunday
school. Likewise, many fine men can easily be enlisted to assist
in building the pastor's class who could not be induced to serve
elsewhere in the Sunday school.
This is a question, however, that every pastor will have
to settle for himself. All pastors who teach great classes of
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 27
men testify without exception that in their judgment the pastor
should teach a Sunday school class. Certainly, if teaching a
class would interfere with the pastor's Sunday morning sermon
it is probable that he should not teach. On the other hand,
many pastors may find that contact with a great class im-
proves their preaching.
The argument is sometimes advanced that if the pastor
teaches a class he cannot give attention to the other part of
the Sunday school. This is partially true; however, before
the lesson period, and also after the lesson period, the pastor
will have opportunity to study the school. Well-kept records
will also furnish the pastor most accurate knowledge concern-
ing each department and class in the Sunday school. He will
also find that the weekly teachers' meeting will afford him a
fine opportunity to find out what is going on in the Sunday
school.
At intervals, perhaps once a month, the pastor should have
a substitute teacher supply for him, at which time he should
go with the superintendent through the Sunday school for the
purpose of making a close study of the school in operation.
To be sure he should time his visits wisely, so that no program
or class is disturbed or interrupted by these visits.
3. He Should Co-operate in Formulating and Directing the
Policies of the School.
The pastor and superintendent should meet often for con-
ference concerning every phase of the work of the school.
With the records before them they can easily get into the
problems which need attention most. The method of con-
ducting the teachers' meeting may need changing. The or-
ganization may need expanding. The pupils may not attend
the preaching service as they should. The soul-winning spirit
in the school may be at a low ebb. A training school for the
workers may be the imperative need. These and other vital
questions would claim attention as they meet for prayer and
conference. In this way the pastor will put his stamp upon the
Sunday school as he can do in perhaps no other way.
He will find here his best chance to exercise proper over-
sight and direction of the Sunday school through the super-
28 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
intendent. The pastor and the superintendent together are an
irresistible force in building the Sunday school and in "pulling
down the strongholds of satan." In speaking of these two
men, a pastor recently said: "The pastor can chase a thousand
and the superintendent can chase a thousand, but the pastor
and superintendent together can put ten thousand to flight."
4. He Should Help Secure Workers.
Neither pastor nor superintendent should nominate teachers
without consulting each other. Both are interested in this
vital matter and the wisdom of both is needed in the selection
of the men and women who should teach in the Sunday school.
One of the most important and at the same time most difficult
tasks confronting the pastor in the work of the entire church
is the enlistment of men and women to teach in the Sunday
school. Certainly, then, he would co-operate with the super-
intendent in the selection, enlistment, and training of all the
officers and teachers.
( 1 ) Their selection.
With the church roll before them the pastor and superin-
tendent would be able to make a long list of capable men and
women who have teaching gifts. These should be assigned to
the department and grade in which, in the judgment of the
pastor and superintendent, they will be best able to teach.
(2) Their enlistment.
With this list in their hands, the pastor and superintendent
should visit these prospective teachers and secure their consent
to enter the work. Often more than one visit will have to
be made before consent can be secured. Time for thought
and prayer will be necessary before a decision can be reached.
Such work pays large dividends and should constantly find a
place in the activities of the pastor.
(3) Their training.
Next comes the training of these workers. Just here is one
of the pastor's richest fields of labor. Certainly there should
be a well-defined policy for training Sunday school workers
in every church. The pastor should be the best equipped man
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 29
in the church to lead in this work. It is his place by virtue
of his calling and position, and he neglects it always at the
peril of seeing his work suffer.
5. He Should Recognize the Bible Study Opportunity.
Every true pastor desires that his people — all of them —
shall study the Bible. He knows that a study of the Bible
will help in the solution of a large part of their individual
problems and also the great majority of the problems of the
church.
The Sunday school provides a helpful, definite, practical,
attractive plan for Bible study for all the people, from the
youngest to the oldest. The lessons are planned with this
end in view.
Then the Sunday school is organized in such a way as to
make it possible to reach all the people and bring them into
the Sunday school, where they may be taught. The pastor
should seize this opportunity for Bible study for his people
and earnestly throw his influence back of the Sunday school,
co-operating with the superintendent in endeavoring to get
every member of the church and all others possible into the
Sunday school for Bible study.
6. He Should Recognize the Soul-Winning Opportunity.
The Sunday school affords the pastor a fertile field of
evangelism day after day. If the Sunday school is constantly
bringing in lost people, as it should, the pastor may be kept
busy here at the work of winning the lost to Christ.
Note how the Sunday school is logically the pastor's soul-
winning opportunity.
(1 ) As a field in which to win souls.
Practically without exception, all Sunday schools have
numbers of lost people on their rolls. This is true even in
very small Sunday schools. Within the membership of all
large Sunday schools and in Sunday schools which maintain
a systematic and vigorous effort for reaching the people, large
numbers of people who are not Christians are to be found.
Another thing, a great many of those who are not Christians
30 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
are children and young people and are the more easily reached
for Christ. Likewise, the surroundings in the Sunday school
create a favorable atmosphere for winning the lost pupils to
Christ. The task of winning grown men and women to
Christ is half accomplished when they become regular attend-
ants at the Sunday school.
A well organized, vigorous, out-reaching Sunday school
will continually keep a soul-winning pastor well supplied with
abundant soul-winning material, consisting of children, boys
and girls, and men and women, whose greatest need is Christ.
(2) As a force for winning souls.
Practically without exception all of the soul-winners in
every church belong to the Sunday school. They are the of-
ficers and teachers of the Sunday school, and the officers and
members of the organized classes. These constitute a soul-
winners' band already organized and ready to be put to
work by the pastor. The general superintendent and the super-
intendents of the departments are his key people; next come
the teachers, each one having special interest in the lost pupils
in his class. Then in each class there are saved pupils who
may be enlisted easily in behalf of their fellow pupils who are
yet strangers to Christ. In this way the Sunday school pre-
sents a definite field of service to each teacher and saved
pupil to win the lost in his own particular department and
class. A truly wonderful opportunity is hereby presented to
the pastor constantly to lead this soul-winning force of Sunday
school officers, teachers, and saved pupils in the work of winning
the lost.
7. He Should Recognize the Preaching Opportunity
The Sunday school should furnish the pastor a most fruit-
ful field for preaching the gospel, and any pastor who fails
to take advantage of this opportunity to preach to his Sunday
school is bound to suffer loss in his preaching ministry.
In practically all Sunday schools at least 75 per cent of the
Sunday school pupils above the Primary age may be induced
to remain for the Sunday morning sermon if the matter is ap-
proached in an intelligent and vigorous way.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 31
The pastor should lead in this matter or at least he should
co-operate fully with the superintendent and teachers in
bringing it about. There is no doubt that the Sunday school
may be made to add greatly to the effectiveness of the preach-
ing of the pastor.
( 1 ) The Sunday school may he made to add large num-
bers to the preaching service.
In many churches the Sunday school congregation is found
to be larger than the congregation at the eleven o'clock preach-
ing service. This should not be, need not be, and will not be
if the pastor and the superintendent make up their minds that
it shall not be. The Sunday school pupils should constitute a
large part of the pastor's Sunday morning congregation. In
churches where the pupils attend the preaching service, the
pastor usually preaches to a house filled to overflowing and no
preacher, who preaches to the majority of his Sunday school
Sunday after Sunday, will ever be in want of hearers.
(2) The Sunday school offers an opportunity for the pastor
to preach to the lost.
(a) An observation and two questions.
The average Sunday morning congregation is made up of
church members. A set formal service is the usual order. A
lengthy musical program precedes the sermon of the morning.
Many churches like this sort of a thing. Many preachers like
it, or at least they quietly acquiesce, seemingly thinking that
there is nothing else to be done. For this reason, no doubt,
the evangelistic note and appeal are silent in the average Sun-
day morning sermon. Two questions arise here. First, Is
this kind of service best for the promotion and ongoing
of the Kingdom? Second, What would be its practical value
to lost people should they attend?
(b) The logical time for an evangelistic message.
Should the pastor and church desire it, the Sunday morning
service may be made to yield a great harvest of souls regularly.
This may be accomplished by bringing into the preaching ser-
vice the Sunday school pupils who are not Christians, thus
32 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
furnishing the pastor a real evangehstic opportunity. Logically
the Sunday morning preaching service is the time and occasion
for the pastor to win the lost to Christ. The surroundings and
atmosphere are certainly most favorable for timid boys and
girls and young men and women to yield to the pastor's in-
vitation to accept Christ at the close of the sermon. The pupils
come fresh from the classes where they have been taught by
godly teachers. They sit together in the preaching service in
classes and departments with their teachers. The appeal of
the pastor can easily be re-enforced by a sympathetic glance,
an earnest word or gentle pressure on the hand on the part of
a praying teacher or an anxious saved fellow pupil.
(3) The Sunday school offers an opportunity for the pastor
to preach to the young church members.
The young church members almost without exception at-
tend the Sunday school. Most of them come out of the
Sunday school into the church and they have not yet broken
the Sunday school attendance habit. Now is the time to tie
them on to the church through the preaching service. They
need to be made to realize that the preaching service is for
them as well as for their fathers and mothers, that it is an es-
sential in their spiritual up-building.
Furthermore, the young church members in the Sunday morn-
ing congregation present to the pastor a wonderful opportunity
to impress upon their hearts the call of God to special service.
For the purpose of calling out for special service and bringing
to a decision those whom God has called, there is no oppor-
tunity comparable to that offered the pastor in his own church
with his own young people at the Sunday morning preaching
services.
8. He Should Recognize the Missionary Instruction Oppor-
tunity.
In the Sunday school the foundation may be laid for mis-
sionary instruction and training in the early years of the pupils*
lives. Here we begin with the Beginners and every year until
they enter the Young People's department, at seventeen years
of age, there is special missionary instruction provided in the
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 33
Graded Lessons, consisting of entire lessons on missions. Also
memory verses on missions, missionary songs, and many illus-
trations from the lives and deeds of missionaries are used in
teaching missions in the Sunday school. In fact, these lessons
contain a veritable storehouse of missionary information and
instruction.
Likewise, the Uniform Lessons provide a number of lessons
on missions for each grade each year. Then, in addition to
the material contained in the lessons, there is the provision of
a Sunday School Calendar of Denominational Activities with
its periodic emphasis on all phases of missionary activity.
Attractive program material is prepared and sent free on
request. These programs are adapted for use in all our Sunday
schools and may be made most interesting to both young and
old alike. A place in each program is also made for a Sunday
school offering to missions, thus teaching by example as well as
precept. Certainly the wise pastor will gladly take advantage
of these aids in teaching his people missions in and through the
Sunday schools.
9. He Should Recognize the Enlistment Opportunity.
Every Christian needs to be busy. He needs a task com-
mensurate with his taste, time, talents and skill, and then he
needs to be trained for that place and put to work. The para-
mount question is. Where and how may this be done?
In the modern well-organized Sunday school there is a place
for every member of the church to work. There is a definite
task for each one to perform. With the help of the superin-
tendent the pastor should locate these places of service, dis-
cover those who are best suited to fill them, and adjust each
one to his particular task — no one should be neglected.
By way of recapitulation, let us see some of the many ways
the modern Sunday school offers simple, practical ways and
means by which a pastor may keep all of his people busy all
the time at worth-while tasks.
( 1 ) Teaching the Bible.
(2) Reaching the people.
(3) Winning the lost to Christ.
34 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
(4) Training workers.
(5) Keeping records.
(6) Maintaining an orchestra.
(7) Providing social pleasures.
(8) Social service and relief work.
( 1 ) Teaching the Bible.
The Sunday school furnishes the place, the plan, the time
and the opportunity for the pastor to enlist large numbers of
men and women to assist him in teaching the Bible to great
numbers of people.
(2) Reaching the people.
The opportunity is afforded in the Sunday school for every
member of the church to keep busy every moment he can
possibly spare, going into the homes of the people, visiting
absent pupils and seeking new pupils for the Sunday school.
(3) Winning the lost to Christ.
Through the Sunday school all the lost people in the com-
munity may be located, and in the Sunday school every saved
pupil, officer, and teacher may find a most fruitful field for real,
intensive, dead-in-earnest work as a soul-winner.
(4) Training workers.
Not only will the pastor have an opportunity to train his
officers and teachers himself, but the Sunday school will
afford him an opportunity to enlist a large number of his people
to assist him in teaching classes in the Normal Sunday School
Course, methods of Bible study, methods of teaching, methods
of organization in all departments, and methods of Sunday
school administration.
(5) Keeping records.
If the records in the Sunday school are properly kept, not
only will they furnish the pastor with information as to what
is going on in the Sunday school, but they will also provide
employment for a large number of secretaries, thus utilizing
the talents and skill of a large number of people in this par-
ticular phase of service. In a Sunday school with an attendance
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 35
of 300 to 500 the number of general and department secretar-
ies and their associates would be ten or twelve, with at least
twice that number of class secretaries.
(6) Maintaining an orchestra.
A fine orchestra is possible in practically any Sunday school.
This is a means of utilizing the musical talents of all the
musically inclined young people, and at the same time of making
the Sunday school services most attractive and charming.
(7) Providing social pleasures.
This delightful form of Christian service may find its best
opportunity for useful expression in the Sunday school.
(a.) In utilizing as social leaders those having the neces-
sary qualifications.
The general direction of the social life of the Sunday
school should be assigned to a good man or woman especially
gifted for this work. Then in each department one particu-
lar person should be charged with the task of making
the department as attractive as possible, socially. This per-
son may be the superintendent, the associate superintendent,
or one of the teachers. Also, in each class above the Junior
department the social life of the class should be assigned
to a certain member of the class. Thus we see the large
number of men and women necessary to take care of the social
life of the Sunday school properly.
(b.) In providing a congenial place socially for every mem-
ber of the church and Sunday school.
Wholesome play is almost as necessary for the all-around
development of the Christian as hard work. It is really a
form of Christian service. It is necessary for the Christian's
highest development and usefulness. As "all work and no
play makes Jack a dull boy," just so does it unfit the Chris-
tian for proper participation in many of the privileges and op-
portunities for doing good that otherwise he would be able
to utilize.
The plans for the social life of the Sunday school should be
so directed as to provide attractions for every member of the
36 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
church and Sunday school, and all should be urged to attend
and participate.
This is much desired and may be attained by the pastor's co-
operating with the superintendent in planning for the social side
of the life of the Sunday school.
(8) Social service and relief work.
The thorough knowledge of the constituency of the local
church, made possible by the activities of the departmentized
Sunday school, offers unparalleled opportunity for an exer-
cise of Christian fellowship and love. Wisely directed energy
given to the relief, in the name of Jesus, of all who are in dis-
tress of any kind will contribute greatly to the spiritual power
of individuals and of the church.
CHAPTER III
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT—
HIS POSITION
The purpose of this chapter is to deal with the Sunday
school superintendent's position or place in the Sunday school
and not with the superintendent personally or his duties, ex-
cept indirectly. These important themes will be left for
consideration later.
The office of Sunday school superintendent is a church
office; therefore, the superintendent is a church officer. Being
a church officer, he should be elected by the church and placed
in charge of the Sunday school and held responsible for the
manner in which he conducts the affairs of the school.
Before undertaking his work the superintendent should have
a well-defined conception of what is involved in his position.
The aim in this discussion is to define, in a general way, the
superintendent's place in the Sunday school and help him to a
proper appreciation of the heavy obligation under which he
is placed when elected superintendent of the Sunday school.
The superintendent's place in the Sunday school can be set
out very clearly in the following outline:
I. A Place of Great Responsibility.
II. A Place of Corresponding Authority.
III. A Place of Wonderful Opportunity.
IV. A Place of Certain Rewards.
An earnest study of these four aspects of the subject would
cause churches to be more prayerful and careful in choosing
men to lead the people in the study of the Bible in the Sunday
schools. It would also cause the officers and teachers of Sun-
[37]
38 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
day schools to respond more readily to the leadership of the
superintendents and co-operate more whole-heartedly with them
in their plans and efforts to build up and improve the schools.
Likewise, it would cause men who have been elected to the
high office of Sunday school superintendent to brush aside all
unworthy ambitions and aims which might intrude themselves
and accept the position only after finding out the will of God.
It should also cause them to prepare themselves thoroughly for
their duties and to attend to these duties with a high sense of
their importance and in the fear of God.
Let us take up each of these facts and study them.
L A PLACE OF GREAT RESPONSIBILITY
The office of Sunday school superintendent is a sacred
trust in which heavy obligations and responsibilities are in-
volved. Every church should realize this when selecting the
man into whose hands the direction of the affairs of the Sun-
day school are to be committed. Likewise, everj'^ man who is
elected to this position by his church should so regard it. Cer-
tainly no man should be elected to this office with the view of
honoring him or because he has outstanding social, business
or financial prestige. And no man should accept the superin-
tendency of the Sunday school without first earnestly seek-
ing divine guidance ; second, without committing himself wholly,
with all that he is and has, to the task; and third, with-
out resolving that he will make the Sunday school his
consideration, and not allow other things, no matter how im-
portant, such as business, social obligations, lodges, love of
ease and comfort to cool his ardor and slow him up in the
prosecution of his duties as superintendent of the Sunday school.
This leads us to say that the success or failure of the
Sunday school rests wholly and entirely in his hands. If the
Sunday school is a failure, it is because the superintendent al-
lows it; if the Sunday school is a success, it is because he
makes it so.
We understand very well the place and the value of the
pastor in the Sunday school, also the need and worth of a
trained corps of officers and teachers. However, no matter
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 39
how skilled the pastor or how efficient the other officers and
teachers, they cannot build and maintain an efficient, powerful,
soul-winning Sunday school with an incompetent superintendent
in charge. The place of the Sunday school superintendent is
one of heavy responsibility and every man who accepts such
a position should so understand it.
II. A PLACE OF CORRESPONDING AUTHORITY
The responsibility involved in the office of Sunday school
superintendent rightly carries with it a certain amount of au-
thority. In the very nature of the case this must be so, other-
wise the superintendent could not be held responsible for the
success of the Sunday school. The superintendent's work is all
on a co-operative basis ; therefore, he is not, must not and
cannot be a dictator or a boss. His authority is the authority
which belongs to and accompanies successful leadership. He
commands by valorous deeds and not by words. He has a
right, on account of his position, to ask people to do things,
but his requests must always be with "words of grace sea-
soned with salt," backed up by "deeds which speak louder than
words."
His work is all co-operative and he must have a high con-
ception of the sacred relation existing between himself and
his co-v/orkers.
1 . His Relation to His Pastor.
He should never mature plans and aimounce policies with-
out first consulting his pastor and securing his advice, and
he should make no important moves without being in perfect
harmony and agreement with his pastor. The two are yoke-
fellows in building and maintaining the Sunday school, and
the superintendent should recognize in the pastor his chief ad-
viser, his best friend, his spiritual leader; he should confide in
him, love him, and support him.
2. His Attitude or Relation to the Other Officers and
Teachers.
The superintendent at all times should manifest the greatest
consideration for the other officers and teachers. He should
40 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
consult with them about his plans for the school and seek in
every way to keep them informed. He should seek their views
and utilize their thinking, ever having in mind that they have
rights and are vitally interested in the success of the Sunday
school. It is not just to the other officers and teachers for
the superintendent to interfere with their duties and affairs.
He should be so sympathetic with them in their work and so
fair in all his dealings with them that they will seek his counsel
and help, and at all times respect his authority as superintendent
of the Sunday school.
3. His Relation to the School.
The fact that he has been chosen by the church and put in
charge of the Sunday school elevates him to a place of sacred
authority, which he may maintain by exercising the right atti-
tude at all times toward the school. How important it is that
he should keep himself well in hand! At no time and under
no circumstances whatever has he the right to display impa-
tience, dissatisfaction, or a bad temper, and give the Sunday
school a "call down" because he does not always get the
response from the school that he desires. His position does
not warrant this and his authority suffers every time it is done.
The superintendent should not speak of the Sunday school
as "my school" but as "our school." He should not say to
the school, "I want you to do this, that, or the other thing,"
but, "Let us do this, that, or the other thing."
The Sunday school will recognize and respect the authority
of the superintendent and respond to his leadership usually in
proportion to the ability and spirit displayed by the superin-
tendent in his direction of the Sunday school.
III. A PLACE OF WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY
Next to the pastor the Sunday school superintendent per-
haps has the greatest opportunity to help and bless the lives
of other people.
1 . Multitudes of People Need the Sunday School.
There are so many people on the outside of the Sunday
school who need the blessings afforded by the Sunday school.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 41
They have little concern about their souls; they do not study
the Bible; they do not know Christ; they rarely, and many of
them never, enter the doors of a church. The business of the
superintendent is to lead the forces out into the cities, towns,
and country communities and bring every such man, woman,
and child into the Sunday school to study the Bible.
2. Multitudes of People Need to be Won to Christ.
The Sunday schools are filled with boys and girls and
young people who are strangers to Christ. Their supreme need
is Christ. He can save them. He wants to save them. He
stands waiting for them to be brought to him that he may save
them.
The Sunday school officers and teachers constitute a
mighty soul-winning force, compared to which there is none
like it. Here in the Sunday school is a field white for the
harvest, and here also are laborers ready and able to gather
the harvest. Wonderful, glorious opportunities are hereby
presented day by day to the superintendent in co-operation
with the pastor, to lead this force of laborers out into the fields
to gather the harvest.
3. Multitudes of Idle Church Members Need Work-
There is a place in every Sunday school for every member
of the church to work. The opportunities offered for service
in the Sunday school are incomparable. An army of men
and women and young people is needed to work in the
Sunday school. Many officers, teachers, class officers, Cradle
Roll and Extension department visitors are needed in even the
.smallest Sunday school.
TTie great majority of Sunday schools do not have half
enough officers and teachers. But some one will ask. Where
can so many capable officers and teachers be found? The
answer is. There is a sufficient number of splendid men and
women in every church who love the Lord and desire to serve
him, to do this work. They need to be enlisted and adjusted
to a position on the Sunday school force of officers and
teachers and trained for their particular tasks.
42 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
What a chance for the Sunday school superintendent, work-
ing hand in hand with the pastor, to multiply his own useful-
ness many times over again! How alert, tireless, prayerful
and in dead earnest he should be not to allow one of these
blessed opportunities to slip by unused for helping others into
larger fields of service for Christ!
IV. A PLACE OF CERTAIN REWARDS
What is said of the office of the deacon is undoubtedly true
of the office of the superintendent of the Sunday school. I
am sure there cannot be a doubt that any man who uses the
office of a Sunday school superintendent well "will purchase
to himself a good degree and great boldness in the faith which
is in Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 3: 13).
The work of a consecrated, faithful, energetic, capable
Sunday school superintendent is far-reaching in its effects and
results. How far no one can tell. He rightly shares in the
work of every other officer and every teacher in the Sunday
school. He shares in the work of the Cradle Roll superinten-
dent, and of every visitor in the Extension department. He
shares in the work of every teacher in every lesson taught. He
has a share in the work of bringing every pupil into the Sunday
school, and in every soul won to Christ through the work of
the Sunday school.
The rewards of the Sunday school superintendent will be
commensurate with the manner in which he has met his respon-
sibilities, taking advantage of his opportunities, and done his
work. "Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be
weak: for your work shall be rewarded" (2 Chronicles 15:
17).
CHAPTER IV
THE SUPERINTENDENT— HIS
QUALIFICATIONS
It is not the aim here to set up ideals for superintendents
which are unattainable or to catalog a long list of impossible
virtues and insist that Sunday school superintendents shall
measure up to them. This would be a waste of time and a
discouragement to men who are trying to make their lives
tell for the most in places of leadership in the Sunday school.
Neither is it the purpose to set out in any formal or perfunc-
tory sense the qualifications of a Sunday school superintendent.
But instead, to call attention to some spiritual quahfications, and
essential elements of leadership, which superintendents may
naturally possess in a greater or lesser degree or which may
be acquired and carefully cultivated day by day.
I. Essential spiritual qualifications of the super-
intendent
1 . He Should Be Consecrated to the Work.
No man should accept the call to become superintendent of
a Sunday school unless he has a definite impression that God
is in the call, that it is the voice of God as well as the voice
of his church that calls him to the task. It is a worthy ambi-
tion for a man to have a desire for a place of great opportunity
for service, but he should be sure that such ambition is a holy
one. He should examine himself carefully to see that he is
not actuated by any selfish purpose or unrighteous motive, but
by a high and holy desire to serve God and his fellow man.
This point being thoroughly settled before accepting the position
of Sunday school superintendent, he should make up his mind
[43]
44 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
that he will consecrate himself wholly to the work of the Sun-
day school with a high sense of all that is involved in the
position.
(1) His talents.
His motto should be, in the words of the Apostle Paul,
"This one thing I do." Superintendents do not fail to make
a success of their work because of lack of ability; even a
one-talented man can make a success of a Sunday school if
he will give that talent wholly to his work. The superin-
tendent should maintain a fine balance between his business
and social pleasures and the Sunday school. He should not
allow anything, no matter how good within itself, to claim the
time he should devote to the Sunday school. Legitimate busi-
ness and family duties should receive his attention, to be sure,
but he should also plan definitely to give the best that is in him
to the Sunday school.
(2) His time.
This is the rub — the time question. And let it be said here
and now, no man with one talent, five talents, or even ten, will
ever make a success of a Sunday school until he makes up his
mind that he is going to devote a very definite and liberal
amount of his time to the Sunday school. It takes time to
direct a Sunday school. It takes much time — time for prayer,
time for study, time for planning, time for work, time during
the day, time at night, time during the week, time on Sunday,
time for the teachers' meeting, and time for the workers' coun-
cil. If possible, a Sunday school superintendent ought to study
the Sunday school some every day. The Sunday school ought
to be such a part of him and have such a large place in his
thinking and planning that it will be easy to give it considera-
tion at odd times all along the way every day. He will find
it helpful to set aside a brief period of time each day in which
to give consideration to the Sunday school. Thirty minutes
at night just before retiring, or better, thirty minutes or an
hour early in the morning before other members of the family
are up, devoted to the consideration of the Sunday school will
work wonders in the life of any superintendent; it will work
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 45
wonders in any Sunday school, and blessings untold will be the
lot of a people whose Sunday school superintendent will do
this. The fact is, a few hours of time devoted to the work of
the Sunday school during each week is what determines the
difference between success and failure in the Sunday school.
(3) His money.
Every superintendent should be a liberal man. He should
be a large giver to his church. That is, he should give of his
means to the support of his church as God prospers him. Any
man who will consecrate himself to the work of the Sunday
school by giving his talents, his time, and a proper proportion
of his means is sure to make a success of the Sunday school.
God is back of that kind of a man and will not allow him
to fail. It takes money to run a Sunday school, and the liberal
superintendent will always be able to secure the necessary
funds for this purpose no matter whether the amount be large
or small.
2. He Should Be a Man of Prayer.
The Sunday school superintendent, like Nehemiah, should
be a devout man of prayer. (Nehemiah, Chapter 1.)
( 1 ) He needs to pray for his officers and teachers.
(2) He needs to pray for the pupils in the Sunday school.
(3) He needs to pray for himself.
It is doubtful if there is a man anywhere, not even the
pastor, who needs to pray more than the superintendent. His
is a spiritual task, he deals with organizations and methods for
the purpose of having God's Word taught to those who are
lost and for the purpose of building up those who are saved
into virile, vigorous Christian manhood and womanhood. The
superintendent deals with every officer in the Sunday school
hand to hand, and every teacher face to face, and if he
makes a success of his work he should know every pupil in
the Sunday school, if possible, by name, no matter if there are
two thousand of them. He should be able to help every officer,
teacher, and pupil in the solution of his particular problems;
in order to do this he will need the wisdom which only comes
from above.
46 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
The superintendent needs to pray for all his officers and
teachers daily. He also needs to pray with his teachers for
their pupils. He should be an example to all in his prayer
life. Perhaps his greatest need will be to pray for himself —
he needs wisdom, patience, proper discernment. He needs to
keep himself well in hand, to govern his temper, to control
his tongue. He needs to go forward in the face of opposi-
tion, to smile when his heart is heavy, to maintain his optimism
in the face of discouragements. He needs more faith. He
needs to pray. The superintendent must be a praying man.
3. He Should Have a Compassion for the Lost.
To fully justify its existence, every Sunday school should
meet the soul-winning test. That is, the Sunday school should
be so organized and conducted that the soul-winning spirit
shall dominate the life of the school so thoroughly that the
lost people in the Sunday school will be led to an acceptance
of Christ as Saviour, will be baptized, and will unite with the
church.
The soul-winning spirit and work in the Sunday school can-
not be maintained unless the superintendent has a deep long-
ing in his soul for lost people. He should have the burden of
the lost on his heart constantly. There should not be a time
when he does not know how many lost people there are in
each department and class in the Sunday school and who they
are. He should be in sympathetic touch with the teachers of
these lost pupils, conferring with them, praying with them and
encouraging them in their task to win their lost pupils to Christ.
With this kind of a superintendent the pastor will find it
easy to have a definite soul-winning program in his church
and will be enabled to take advantage of and utilize the won-
derful soul-winning opportunity offered in the Sunday school.
4. He Should Have Sympathy for the Weak and Needy.
The superintendent of the Sunday school will have all kinds
and conditions of people to deal with. The Sunday school
seeks "everybody" for membership. And in every really
worth-while, God-pleasing Sunday school "both low and high
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 47
and rich and poor meet together." (Psalm 49: 2.) And
since God is the Maker of them all (Prov. 22: 2), the super-
intendent must organize and conduct the Sunday school in such
manner as to bless all.
The need of the people should constitute their greatest appeal
to him. He should look low enough to see all their needs
and high enough to overlook all their faults. The weakest
and the frailest should be his favorites. He should not ex-
pect too much of the people, and when they fail to measure
up to their responsibilities he should not manifest disappoint-
ment and discouragement. On the other hand, his faith in
them should be boundless. People develop slowly, often the
outcome seems to hang in the balance; patience is needed to
await results. But the outcome is certain and frequently un-
expected and surprising; sometimes it is even astounding.
"If we knew when walking thoughtless.
Through the crowded, dusty way,
That a pearl of wondrous whiteness
Close beside our pathway lay;
We would pause where now we hasten.
We would stop and look around.
Lest our careless feet should trample
Some rare jewel in the ground."
II. Essential elements of leadership
The foregoing essential spiritual qualifications, whether nat-
ural or acquired, may be cultivated until they assume large
proportions in the life and work of any superintendent. In
addition to these, there are certain other characteristics or
elements of leadership which must belong to the superintendent
if he is to become eminently successful in leading the Sunday
school forces of his church. If possessed even in the smallest
degree, these characteristics may also be fostered and cultivated
until they shall stand out boldly in the life and work of the
superintendent. Let us take up these characteristics one by one
and give them careful consideration.
1 . The Superintendent Musi Be Progressive.
This characteristic is put first because a Sunday school is
either progressing — ^moving forward — or it is retrograding —
48 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
moving backward — and such action is always determined by
the attitude of the superintendent towards progress.
The superintendent is a leader, not a follower; he must not
only keep up with but also ahead of the entire Sunday school
procession. He leads from the front, not from the rear like
an ear-to-the-ground politician who saw a throng of people
moving up the street and said to a friend standing by, "I see
the people moving up the street, I must follow along and see
what they are going to do, you know I am their leader." The
superintendent must not be a "standpatter" except where prin-
ciples are involved. He must be willing and ready to introduce
new methods into the Sunday school, not satisfied with past
achievements, and not willing to "let well enough alone." He
must have perfection as his goal for the Sunday school. Every
new Monday morning should find him determined to have a
better Sunday school the following Sunday than ever before.
He must be open-minded, willing to receive help from any
and all sources. He must also be open-eyed, knowing that
vigilance is the price of Sunday school progress and success.
2. The Superintendent Must Be Aggressive.
The superintendent must be a man of action. He should
not only be willing to try new methods, but he must actually try
them. He cannot be satisfied with past successes, but must
vigorously undertake new and greater achievements. The
superintendent must be a doer. There is no place where a
positive personality counts for more than as superintendent of
the Sunday school. Truly, it is vigorous deeds, and not talk,
that build and maintain great Sunday schools. A shifting,
hesitating, dilly-dallying policy is always fatal to Sunday
school success.
Teachers resign, classes are merged, pupils drop out
and are lost to the Sunday school; classes are allowed to get
too large and new classes need to be formed; the officers and
teachers need training; frequent conferences of the officers and
teachers are needed; a weekly teachers* meeting for study,
prayer, and counsel should be maintained; equipment is needed
by the different departments and classes, but the superintend-
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 49
ent halts, hesitates, and defers action on one pretext or
another. The Sunday school is allowed to drift along in an
aimless fashion, and the officers, teachers, and pupils become
discouraged because there is wanting an aggressive, vigorous
policy on the part of the superintendent.
The superintendent's watchword should be "Do it now. '
He should not wait to see what is going to "happen." If
anything should happen, it would be the wrong thing. There
is not a doubt that aggressiveness on the part of Sunday
school superintendent is one of the greatest needs in Sunday
school today.
3. The Superintendent Must Be Enthusiastic.
Enthusiasm is the greatest business asset in the world, and
is equally valuable as a Sunday school asset. Enthusiasm is
contagious; it is commanding; it has an indefinable influence.
Enthusiasm is faith in action; it is a combination of faith
and initiative, and, when these are rightly combined, they re-
move mountainous barriers and achieve the unheard-of and
miraculous.
An enthusiastic man is always convincing and dominating,
and people will follow him gladly and without questioning.
Like many other good qualities, enthusiasm may be acquired;
and, with the proper nurture and cultivation, it may be kept at
high tide.
Three things are mentioned here as necessary in arousing
and maintaining enthusiasm: First, a broad vision; second,
adequate information; and third, skill, or the ability to do a
thing well.
( 1 ) A broad vision.
Achievement is always in proportion to vision. A superin-
tendent with a small, narrow vision will have a small Sunday
school; it is impossible for him to have any other kind. The
Sunday school cannot be any larger or better than he sees it.
A great church was facing the question of electing a Sunday
school superintendent; the names of two men had been men-
tioned as eligibles. Both were interviewed by the pastor as
to their views about the Sunday school. One said he thought
50 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
the Sunday school should have as many as 300 in its member-
ship; the other was of the opinion that the Sunday school could
and should have not less than 700 members. The church
wisely elected the man with the larger vision. The school soon
had an attendance of over 1 ,000, In the meantime, the vision
of the superintendent had been greatly enlarged and the aim
of the school was increased to 2000 members. Immediately
the entire Sunday school — ofhcers, teachers, and pupils — re-
sponded to the call of the superintendent and with great en-
thusiasm set itself to the task of reaching the goal.
None but a broad-visioned, enthusiastic superintendent can
successfully lead in building and maintaining a great out-reach-
ing, Bible-teaching, soul-saving, blessing-bearing, joy-bringing
Sunday school.
(2) Adequate information.
The superintendent must be a well-infonned man. Next
to a large vision there is nothing that will arouse enthusiasm
like knowledge. It is both unreasonable and absurd to expect
one to be enthusiastic about a thing of v/hich he is ignorant.
If the superintendent would maintain a fine state of en-
thusiasm in his work and if he would be able to impart this
spirit of enthusiasm to the Sunday school, he must study his
work constantly. He must know the work; he must know
how to do the work; he must know the workers, and he must
know how to get them to do their work.
Thousands of Sunday schools are dragging along at a dying
pace because superintendents do not keep informed. They do
not know the work; they do not study. There is a spirit of
discontent in the Sunday school; the people are unhappy and
there is no joy in the v/ork anywhere. This sort of a situation
can be changed almost instantly by the superintendent. Let
him open his eyes and behold the wonderful opportunities for
service that are his. Let him make a serious study of his work.
Let him put on an intelligent, aggressive program for a larger
and better Sunday school, and he will be surprised at the
wonderful transformation which will take place immediately
in the Sunday school.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 51
A full discussion dealing with what the superintendent should
study will be taken up in the next chapter, *'The Superinten-
dent's Preparation."
There is one other thing that aids in arousing and keeping
alive in the superintendent a fine spirit of enthusiasm. It fol-
lows or grows out of knowledge and is always preceded by
knowledge. Let us see what it is and how it helps the super-
intendent in maintaining enthusiasm.
(3) Skill
As has just been said, skill is always preceded by knowl-
edge. Knowing and doing is the logical order. Skill has
many definitions and many shades of meaning according to
Webster. Note a few of them: "The application of the art
or science to practical purposes ; the power to discern and exe-
cute; the ability to perceive and perform; denoting familiar
knowledge united to readiness of performance, and so forth.
Skill is interesting, skill is electrifying, skill is sensational, skill
is attractive.
A skilful person is always an enthusiast, no matter what his
accomplishment may be. Likewise, a skilful person is always
able to arouse the enthusiasm of other people in the thing that
he is doing. On the other hand, a bungler is rarely ever en-
thusiastic about the thing he is trying to do. Certainly his
perfonnances are neither interesting nor attractive, and they
utterly fail to arouse enthusiasm in other people.
The Sunday school superintendent who knows his work and
performs his tasks with ability and skill is not only enthusiastic
himself, but such a superintendent will have a Sunday school
full of happy, joyous, enthusiastic people.
4. The Superintendent Should Be Persistent.
He should persevere in the face of indifference and oppo-
sition. He must have staying qualities. He must not think
of quitting when people seem not to appreciate the sacrificial
service he is trying to render, or resign when people do not
agree with his policies or fail to see things as he sees them.
He should not be easily discouraged; but when times of
discouragement do come, he should not allow others to know it.
52 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
He should realize that every exhibition of impatience or dis-
couragement will imperil his leadership and retard the progress
of the Sunday school.
He should be absolutely impervious to criticism. His faith
in God, his love for people and his faith in them, and an abid-
ing conviction that he is doing the will of God should keep
him strong-hearted and resolute at all times.
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmov-
able, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as
ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." (2 Cor.
15:58.)
CHAPTER V
THE SUPERINTENDENT— HIS PREPARATION
I. The importance of preparation
Consecration to the task, willingness to do the work and
a certain amount of natural ability on the part of the superin-
tendent are essential in building and maintaining a great Sun-
day school; however, these fine essentials will count for little
unless the superintendent prepares himself in a very thorough
and definite manner to do his work. Consecration, willingness
and natural ability are necessary and count for much, but
they do not in any way take the place of study and prepara-
tion.
A man must study if he would succeed anywhere at any-
thing. This is true no matter what ability a man may possess,
or what his business or profession may be. A man cannot
naturally direct a Sunday school any more than he can nat-
urally run a bank, a railroad, a college, a farm or an airplane.
All these require careful and painstaking study. The same
applies to the Sunday school.
Another word is necessary in this connection. Simply be-
cause a man has made a marked success of his chosen profes-
sion or business is not of itself a guarantee that he will make
a success of the Sunday school. He may be a successful
banker and utterly fail as a Sunday school superintendent, or
he may be a successful school teacher and at the same time
a dismal failure and disappointment as a Sunday school super-
intendent. The same is true concerning every other business
and profession. On the other hand, men from all the ranks
of business, trades, and professions have made marked successes
[§8]
54 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
as Sunday school superintendents, but without exception they
have been men who have definitely and thoroughly prepared
themselves for the Sunday school work.
Let us consider some of the things a superintendent should
study in preparing himself for this work.
II. What the superintendent should study
Sunday school superintendents are universally busy men.
They are either engaged in business for themselves or for
others. In either event their business makes a severe draft
upon their time and energies. Therefore, the time at their
disposal which may be devoted to the Sunday school is neces-
sarily limited, and should be wisely conserved and judiciously
utilized. To this end the superintendent should set apart a
definite portion of time each day for the purpose of studying
the Sunday school and Sunday school work.
In view of the fact that the superintendent has a limited time
to devote to the Sunday school, it follows essentially that he
should be a man of few books and subjects, but these should be
thoroughly mastered. He will find this to be far more effective
than to have a superficial knowledge of a large number of
books and subjects.
The natural question, the question of paramount importance,
arises. What should the superintendent study in order to make
his time and talents count for most in building and maintaining
the very best Sunday school possible?
1 . The Superintendent Should Study the Bible.
The Bible naturally should find the first place in the superin-
tendent's preparation. This is necessary for two reasons : first,
his personal spiritual needs require that he should be a constant
student of the Bible; second, as the textbook of the Sunday
school the Bible should find first place in the study of the
superintendent.
( 1 ) For his personal needs.
Every child of God needs to study the Bible. What a
commonplace statement I Yet how fraught with deepest signifi-
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 55
cancel At this point the great majority of God's children
fail. Their lives are powerless, pointless and joyless for lack
of the food for the soul, God's Word. The personal need of
the superintendent for contact with the Father through his
Word must be met, if he would live above the world, enjoy
new experiences of grace day by day, and lead the Sunday
school forces to victory.
The superintendent must be a constant student of the Bible,
not a Bible scholar maybe — there is a vast difference between
the two — but he must spend much time with the Bible because
he believes it, loves it, and desires that his life shall be richer,
deeper, and fashioned according to the pattern God gives in
his Holy Word for each one of his children. Another thing,
as the superintendent realizes the effect of the Bible upon his
own life and discovers its value to him personally, he will be
led to a proper appreciation of the value of Bible study to the
lives of other people.
(2) As the textbook of the Sunday school.
It would seem that no conscientious superintendent would
be willing to be ignorant of the textbook of the school over
which he presides. He should be familiar with Bible geogra-
phy, Bible history, Bible facts, Bible doctrines and be able
to readily discern spiritual truths. This knowledge is essen-
tial in his preparation.
The superintendent should have an appreciation of what
good Bible teaching is. Although he may not be an expert
teacher himself, he should be a good judge of teaching and be
able to get the best teaching possible from his teachers. Super-
intendents can learn enough of what they need to know of
the Bible and about the Bible to prepare them for their posi-
tions.
There is just one reason why people do not know more
about the Bible; they do not study it; they do not take ad-
vantage of the many simple, practical plans afforded for study-
ing it. The plans for Bible study offered the superintendent
in connection with the Sunday school are ample, and if he
would avail himself of what is here offered, he would soon de-
velop into a remarkably intelligent and wonderfully useful
56 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
man. Let us note some of the opportunities afforded the
superintendent for Bible study in the Sunday school.
(a.) The Uniform Sunday School Lessons.
Tliis plan contemplates going through the Bible in a thorough
and comprehensive way every five to eight years. It presents a
fine plan of Bible study for busy superintendents and will great-
ly enrich the life of any superintendent who will make a careful
study of these lessons.
(b.) The Graded Lessons.
The Graded Lesson Course covers a period of fourteen
years in the pupil's life, furnishing a definite set of lessons for
each year. These lessons are taught in the Sunday school and
the superintendent should thoroughly acquaint himself with
them as well as with every other provision made for Bible
study in the Sunday school.
(c.) The Training Course.
The following books in the Training Course for Sunday
school workers deal with the Bible and are indispensable in the
preparation of the superintendent:
Group L The Bible
1 . Introductory.
Outlines of Bible History, by P. E. Burroughs
The Book We Teach, by J. B. Weatherspoon
2. Historical.
Old Testament Studies, by P. E. Burroughs
New Testament Studies, by W. E. Denham
3. Biographical.
From Adam to Moses, by H. W. Tribble
From Joshua to David, by John L. Hill
From Solomon to Malachi, by Kyle M. Yates
From Bethlehem to Olivet, by Hight C Moore
From Pentecost to Patmos, by Hight C Moore
4. Expository.
Studies in Romans, by B. H. Carroll
Studies in Ephesians, by E. Y. Mullins
Studies in Colossians, by E. Y. Mullins
Any superintendent who will avail himself of the above
opportunities offered in the Sunday school for Bible study
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 57
will be well equipped in Bible knowledge and able to lead
the Sunday school in teaching the Bible, winning the lost to
Christ, and developing those who have been saved.
2. The Superiniendent Should Study Methods.
As the administrative officer of the Sunday school, the
superintendent will need to know every phase of Sunday school
administration if he is to be able to exercise intelligent leader-
ship of the Sunday school forces. He should be a constant
student of all kinds of Sunday school methods: methods of
organization, methods of building the Sunday school, methods
of teaching, methods of training the workers, methods of con-
ducting the teachers' meeting and workers' conference, methods
of Sunday school evangelism, and methods of conducting the
sessions of the school.
Likewise, he should be familiar with the duties of all the
officers and teachers if he would be able intelligently to lead
them and inspire them to do their best work.
( 1 ) He should know the duties of the general officers.
He should know the duties of the associate superintendents,
he should be familiar with the record system of the school,
he should know if the records are correctly kept, and be able
to render valuable assistance to the secretaries when needed.
He should know the work of the treasurer, and leaders of
music, and be able to make suggestions and co-operate with
thern in securing desired results. He should, therefore, make
a thorough study of the work of each one of these officers and
prepare himself to render intelligent assistance when needed.
The following books and periodicals are recommended, in
addition to this text, for his use in this connection:
Building a Standard Sunday School
The Sunday School Builder
The Sunday School Secretary and the Six Point Record
System
The Church Library
58 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
(2) He should I^now the duties of the department officers.
The superintendent should ever bear in mind that he is
superintendent of the entire Sunday school and that all the
departments have equal claims upon him. He should, therefore,
be perfectly familiar with the work of each department from the
Cradle Roll to the Extension department in order to be able to
advise, encourage, and co-operate with the department officers.
To be able to do this the superintendent should keep in close
touch at all times with everything worth while that is going on
in the Sunday school world that will affect any department
of the Sunday school. He should be a constant student of
Sunday school methods touching every department and phase
of the modern department Sunday school. He will find the
department textbooks in the Training Course for Sunday
School Workers of inestimable value in this field; also, the
periodicals published by the Board covering these fields, name-
ly: The Sunday School Young People's and Adult magazine.
The Intermediate Counsellor, and the Elementary Messenger.
(3) He should know the duties of Bible class officers.
The Bible Class has come to occupy a large place in the
modern Sunday school. In his preparation the superintendent
should make a constant study of the duties of the class officers
and the best methods of class building. This is essential if his
advice is to be of value to the officers in their plans for the
class.
(4) He should know the duties of the teachers.
As has been previously suggested, the superintendent should
know what good teaching is and how to secure it. He should
also know the duties of the teachers in addition to their teach-
ing work; their place and work in class building, soul-winning,
and the like. He should be able to put himself in the place
of the teachers if he would be able to render intelligent and
sympathetic help when they most need it. In addition to those
already mentioned, the following books will prove valuable to
him in preparing himself in this connection :
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 59
The School in Which We Teach, by G. S. Dobbins
Looking at Learning, by J. L. Corzine
5o777e Learning Processes, by Leavell and Hill
When Do Teachers Teach, by Doak S. Campbell
Personal Factors in Character Building, by J. M. Price
(5) He should know the plans and methods of the Vacation
Bible School.
Certainly there is no space here to discuss this vastly im-
portant field of Bible instruction. Suffice it to say that as a
Bible teaching opportunity, the Vacation Bible School bears a
distinct and definite relationship to the Sunday school. The
superintendent, therefore, would find it necessary in his prepara-
tion, to pay particular attention to this phase of the work. Reg-
ularly in the Sunday School Builder will he find presentations
of this work, but fundamentally he should study The Vacation
Bible School Guide which text is a part of the Training Course
for Sunday School Workers.
3. The Superintendent Should Study Sunday School
Equipment.
First-class equipment is an absolute necessity if first-class
work is to be done in the Sunday school. In the last analysis
the type of the Sunday school, both as to organization and
quality of work done by officers and teachers, will be largely
governed by the kind of building in which the school meets.
Poorly adapted buildings, poor heating, poor lighting, un-
comfortable seats, broken-down blackboards, dog-eared song
books, and other hindrances too numerous to mention are re-
tarding the progress of thousands of Sunday schools. These
all would speedily give place to modem, up-to-date equipment
if superintendents would, as they should, make a close study
of the subject and insist on the churches' furnishing the best
of everything that the needs of the Sunday schools demand.
( 1 ) The building.
The superintendent should have a general knowledge of
church architecture. He should be familiar with plans for
buildings adapted to Sunday school work generally, the kind
60 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
of buildings suited to the different types of Sunday schools,
and, by all means, he should know the kind of building neces-
sary to meet the needs of the school of which he is superin-
tendent.
He should, therefore, make careful study of books and other
literature dealing with modern church architecture, and he
should at times visit other Sunday schools which have suitable
buildings in which to do their work.
Suitable books and free literature in this field are available
upon request to the Architectural Department, Baptist Sunday
School Board, Nashville, Tennessee.
(2) Working equipment.
In preparing himself to conduct the affairs of the Sunday
school as he should, it will be necessary for the superintendent
to know every item of material needed and every tool to be
used by every department and class in the Sunday school.
His influence and leadership at this point will be of the
greatest value, and the matter of first-class equipment in every
department of the Sunday school will largely depend upon his
knowledge of the kind of equipment needed. The books on
methods in the Training Course for Sunday School Workers,
especially the department books, the Advanced Standard of
Excellence, and the Department and Class Standards, contain
complete suggestions as to the necessary equipment for use of
the general officers, class officers, and teachers. Every Sunday
school superintendent should have constantly at hand one or
more catalogs of Sunday school supplies.
4. The Superintendent Should Study Human Nature.
The question of human adjustment is perhaps the most im-
portant question confronting the business world today. The
most successful business man is the one who knows people best
and how to adjust them in such a way as to realize the most
from their services.
A correct principle underlying real education is that of pre-
paring one for a specific work and at the same time training
him in the doing of that work. In order to do this, the educator
must possess an accurate knowledge of his pupil and, with this
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 61
in mind, make a careful study of him in order that he may
not make any mistakes in adjusting him to his hfe's work. Like-
wise, Sunday school superintendents must know the people
whom they are expected to lead in the Sunday school if they
would be successful in enlisting them for service, training
them in service, and adjusting them to tasks commensurate with
their tastes, talents, time, and skill. All other things being
equal, the superintendent who knows most about human nature
will make the greatest success of his work.
There are two sources from which the superintendent will
be able to learn much about people, and he must assiduously
apply himself to the task of acquiring knowledge from both
of these sources if he would be fitted in the highest degree for
his work.
(1) People.
The most fruitful source for gaining knowledge of people is
through personal study of people themselves. This is first-
hand information and the most desirable and reliable.
Jesus knew people. The Scriptures say that he "knew what
was in man"; therefore, he knew how to deal with people.
He was unerring in his judgment of them. He knew their
difficulties, their trials, and their frailties. He also knew their
worth and their possibilities for good. He associated with them,
he touched elbows with them on the busy streets during the
hours of business as well as in the synagogue on the sabbath
day. He studied people and knew them.
Likewise, the superintendent should plan to devote as much
of his time as possible to a study of the people with whom he
labors. He should be quick to discern motives and able cor-
rectly to estimate true worth wherever found. Such knowledge
v/ill form essentially a true basis upon which he will be able
to enlist them in semce, and adjust each one to a suitable task
in the Sunday school. Any man who sincerely loves people
and studies them, being actuated by a desire to render them
service, will easily find more good than bad in them. He will
also find much in them to inspire and encourage him in his
work in their behalf. The question naturally arises. Where and
62 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
when may a busy superintendent find opportunity for doing
this? The answer is. Every time and place he comes in con-
tact with people: on the streets, in places of business, in the
homes, at the Sunday school, the preaching service, the prayer
meeting, the Training Union, the teachers' meeting, and at
social gatherings. With a little practice it will soon become
"second nature" with him and he will find himself inad-
vertently studying people with reference to fitting them into
places in the Sunday school.
(2) Books.
Perhaps one of the greatest aids to the superintendent m
his preparation will be a careful study of a few books on psy-
chology. This general preparation will greatly aid him in
dealing with people and furnish him a good foundation upon
which to base his study of their individual needs. The follow-
ing books are recommended:
Some Learning Processes, by Leavell and Hill
Personal Factors in Character Building, by Price
5. The Superintendent Should he Familiar with the De-
nominational Program.
The Sunday school superintendent is really a church officer
and, as such, he has charge of the church's educational pro-
gram and will necessarily have to study to keep abreast of
things that are going on in the denomination. This is an
important part of his preparation.
He should study his own denominational state paper, the
annual "Southern Baptist Handbook," the "Southern Baptist
Convention Annual," Home and Foreign Fields, and the lit-
erature as it comes from the press on the Training Union, the
W.M.U., and the Layman's Missionary Movement. He
should keep informed concerning the organization and entire
operation of each one of the general Boards of the denomina-
tion, and his own State Mission Board. Certainly, he should
secure the free literature from the Sunday School Board on the
Calendar of Denominational Activities and thoroughly master
the idea set forth in this plan for presenting missionary instruc-
tion through the Sunday school.
CHAPTER VI
THE SUPERINTENDENT— HIS WORK DURING
THE WEEK
The Sunday school gets its name from the day on which it
meets, and for this reason it is called Sunday school. However,
the Sunday school is not operated on Sunday alone, it re-
quires seven days in which to build and maintain a Sunday
school. In order to have a satisfactory Sunday school, all the
planning and preparation must be done during the six days in
the week preceding Sunday. At this point many superintend-
ents fall short. They seem to think that somehow they can
have attractive, effective, growing Sunday schools without put-
ting any time or work on them except on Sunday morning while
the school is in session. Not so. It requires seven days in
which to conduct a Sunday school, and the amount of time and
work put on the Sunday school during the week will determine
the kind of session the school will have on Sunday morning.
This holds good with reference to the attendance, the spirit-
ual atmosphere, the quality of teaching, and even the order in
the school. All of these are the results of preparation that has
been made before Sunday morning. The session of the school
Sunday morning is the time for gathering the fruits of the
labors expended by the officers and teachers during the pre-
ceding six days. This discussion will deal with the work of
the superintendent during these six days.
I. The superintendent should keep the school
THOROUGHLY ORGANIZED
In order to do this the existing organization should be kept
intact and it should also be enlarged from time to time as the
need arises.
[63]
64 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
1. The Organization Should Be Kept Intact.
The superintendent should keep in closest touch with the
entire organization at all times. He will be able to do this
through the records if they are well kept and also by having
a few minutes conference with all the department superintend-
ents or the teachers each week.
If, for any reason whatever, an officer or teacher in any
department should resign, the superintendent should know it
at once and see to it that the vacancy is filled immediately. He
should look ahead and plan for emergencies of this kind. Often
a teacher resigns and the superintendent will allow the class to
drift along for weeks without a regular teacher. The pupils
lose interest and one by one they drop out and, as a result,
many of them are lost to the Sunday school, while the few re-
maining ones are merged with another class. The trouble was
that the superintendent was asleep at his post. He did not, like
a wise general, have a reserve list of teachers to fill up the
ranks.
Certainly there should be a heavy penalty attached for such
gross neglect of duty. Really such an offense is severe enough
to call for the superintendent to be court-martialed, backed up
against a wall, and shot at sunrise. However, this cannot be
done, but there is a feeling that somehow out yonder in the
future the superintendent will have to answer for such unfaith-
fulness to duty.
The superintendent should be on the alert, and if at any
time there should be dissatisfaction, real or imaginary, on the
part of an officer, teacher, or pupil, he should be quick to take
note of it and ready to provide a remedy, no matter what the
trouble may be.
2. The Organization Should Be Enlarged.
The organization should be enlarged if the Sunday school
is to make progress. The superintendent should watch
the classes and not allow them to become too large. This
refers to every department and every class in the Sunday school.
Again, well-kept records will disclose to him the growth and
size of each class each week. To be sure, the superintendent
will work through the department superintendents in large <!»•
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 65
partmentized schools, but in the event that they are slow in in-
augurating new classes the superintendent should call attention
to the need and with the department superintendents have a
supply of trained teachers ready and waiting to start new
classes whenever and wherever needed.
Perhaps a new class for adult men should be organized,
a mothers' class or a young married women's class, or a
young business women's class, or another class of young men.
The superintendent should at all times keep a sharp look-
out for new teachers for all such classes. He should
recognize the need for the class, he should provide a teacher
and assist the teacher in securing a few pupils who would
serve as a nucleus around which to build the class, and he
should keep in sympathetic touch with the new class until it is
well on the way to success. Just here is the real secret of the
science of Sunday school building. All this will have to be
planned for and done during the week. It cannot be done
on Sunday during the session of the school.
II. The superintendent should build the Sunday
SCHOOL
The superintendent is responsible for the growth and size
of the Sunday school. This matter of Sunday school building
is a week-day work. One of the duties of the superintendent
is to keep the Sunday school organization at work during the
week, going after new pupils and visiting absentees with a view
of getting them to return to the Sunday school.
1 . New Pupils Must Be Reached.
Interesting programs, good teaching, inspiring music, fine
fellowship and an atmosphere of worship will draw and hold
people in the Sunday school; but if people are ever reached in
large numbers, these worth-while things must be re-enforced by
the officers and teachers going frequently after people in their
homes and places of business.
TTie superintendent should lead the entire Sunday school in
taking a religious census at least once a year, and more fre-
quently if necessary. This census should be taken by the
entire school and not by one or two classes. The superintendent
66 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
should see that the names of prospective pupils, secured in the
census, are properly graded, tabulated, and put into the hands
of the officers and teachers. He should further see that a
vigorous visitation campaign is carried on continually in the
interest of all the prospective pupils secured in the census.
2. Absentees Must Be Visited.
The superintendent should not allov;^ the names of the pupils
to be erased from the roll simply because they are irregular in
their attendance. Dropping the names of absentees is not the
way to build up a Sunday school, but a most effective w^ay of
retarding the growth of the school. Another thing, dropping
the names of absent pupils does not help them; on the con-
trary it cuts the last link that binds them to the Sunday school,
and forever puts them beyond its reach. It is both reprehensible
and shameful for teachers to drop from the roll the names of
pupils who reside in the community.
The Sunday school roll should be kept alive, and great dili-
gence should be observed at all times to do this, but erasing
the names of pupils from the roll simply because they do not
attend Sunday school regularly is not the correct way to do it.
In fact, it is the poorest way and, as has already been stated,
it discredits the Sunday school and in no way can it possibly
benefit the irregular members. But says some one. Should
th names of irregular pupils never be dropped from the roll?
The answer is, Yes, for certain causes pupils' names should be
erased from the roll. Either one of the following four causes
would justify such action:
Death; removal from the community; joining another Sun-
day school; at the pupil's request after every available means
has been exerted to get him to return.
However, evidence in each case should be unmistakable and
no name should be dropped except with the consent of the
department superintendent, or the general superintendent if the
school has no department superintendent, and even then the
general superintendent should know about each case and the
cause for dropping the name. It is too serious a business — this
winning people into the Sunday school to teach them God's
Word and win them to Christ — to allow their names to be
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 67
dropped at the whim of some class or because of the laziness
of some teacher.
Let the teachers make this question a matter of conscience
and lead their pupils to esteem every opportunity to help the
irregular members of the class. Let them be visited repeatedly
and lovingly urged to return to the Sunday school. Let no
pupil's name be erased from the roll so long as there is the
slightest chance to get him to return.
The superintendent should see that the names of absent
pupils are not cut off the roll, but that they are visited regularly
each week, and earnestly, lovingly, and persistently urged to
return to the Sunday school. Unless he does this, the size of the
absentee list will continually increase, and, in the same propor-
tion, the size of the Sunday school will decrease.
3. Monthly Visitation Da^ Should Be Observed.
The superintendent should inaugurate a monthly visitation
day in the Sunday school and see that it is regularly observed,
and under no reasonable circumstances should he allow the
day to go by default. Monthly Visitation Day provides a
simple, definite plan of Sunday school visiting. It is not in-
tended to take the place of the regular visiting which teachers
and organized classes should observe each week. It does not
interfere with it; on the contrary it has been proved that a
Monthly Visitation Day, regularly observed, increases the regu-
lar weekly visiting and helps in making it effective. Let us
see what the Monthly Visitation Day really is and what it will
do. It is an unfailing method of building the Sunday school.
( 1 ) Purpose.
The purpose of this visitation is to build up the Sunday
school by going after new pupils and absentees.
(2) Plan.
Once every month on a specified day and hour the officers
and teachers should give at least one hour to Sunday school
visiting. Each officer and teacher should visit pupils in his
particular department and class.
68 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
(3) Time.
Three o'clock Saturday afternoon following the last Sunday
in the preceding month has been found to be the best time in
most city Sunday schools. In country communities, the last
Sunday afternoon in each month is perhaps the best time.
(4) Who should visit.
The general officers, the department officers, the teachers,
and the pupils above the Primary department should visit.
(5) Who should he visited.
Every pupil who was absent the previous Sunday, all the
people in the community who should belong to the Sunday
school, and all the sick and needy members of the school and
congregation should be visited.
(6) What then?
If a regular program of visitation as outlined is carried out
fully by a Sunday school, absentees will return to the Sunday
school; new pupils will join the Sunday school; the sick and
needy will rejoice; those who do the visiting will be blessed,
and the Sunday school will grow.
Where this genuine, unfailing method of building the Sun-
day school is persistently pursued, cheap, fictitious, spasmodic
'*red and blue" contests, cheap jewelry and other clap-trap
methods will disappear, and as a result, the people generally
will have respect and admiration for the Sunday school.
III. The superintendent should maintain a high
GRADE OF TEACHING
The superintendent is responsible for the quality of teaching
done by every teacher in every department in the school. This
responsibility goes with his office, as we have already seen, and
he cannot evade it if he would. The superintendent may not
be a skilful teacher himself, but he may, and should be, a
keen judge of what constitutes a good teacher and good teach-
ing. If he has to begin with unskilled teachers, it will not be
his fault, but, if the teachers remain unskilled the blame will
most assuredly be his.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 69
In small schools the superintendent comes into direct contact
and touch with the teachers, and by observing their work closely
he will be able to draw his conclusions fairly accurately ; but m
large department schools this responsibility will of necessity be
shared with the department superintendents, and together they
should keep up with the quality of work done by all of the
teachers.
The Six Point Record System will be of untold value to the
superintendent in doing this. The teachers' records as well as
the records of the classes will greatly aid him in keeping in-
formed concerning the effectiveness of the work of the teachers.
The weekly teachers' meeting will also furnish the superin-
tendent a first-hand opportunity of securing knowledge of the
ability of the different teachers, and enable him to assist them
in maintaining a high grade of teaching.
1 . A Training Program Should Be Carried Out.
The superintendent, in co-operation with the pastor, should
inaugurate and maintain a definite training policy and program.
This work will have to be done between Sundays.
The superintendent should see that a training school of a
week's duration is held in the church regularly each quarter.
One or more classes of officers and teachers should be carried
through one of the books of the Sunday School Workers'
Training Course. Often there should be two or more simultan-
eous classes going on, as all the workers wall not desire the
same book.
The superintendent should personally encourage every of-
ficer and teacher to take the work. He should also enlist the
bright young people and men and women in this training, and
so prepare new material for his force. He should always have
on hand a supply of these training books and literature for free
distribution on every phase of Sunday school work. He should
encourage the officers and teachers to avail themselves of every
opportunity to equip themselves for the best service. His motto
for his officers and teachers should be 2 Timothy 2: 15.
The following arrangement of a program for a week of
special effort in training is practical and may be carried out
in any church. A good, wholesome free lunch should be served
70 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
by the church to all taking the work. In the event that several
classes are to be conducted simultaneously, neighboring pas-
tors and Sunday school workers from nearby churches or spe-
cial Sunday school workers may be secured to assist.
Suggested Program for Week of Training
Schedule of Work — ^Monday to Friday
6:00 Class Work.
One or more classes meeting simultaneously.
7:00 Lunch served free to all taking the work.
7:30 Address by a neighboring pastor, or perhaps a special Sunday
school worker.
8:00 Classes as before lunch.
9:00 Adjournment.
In addition to special weeks of training such as described
above, the superintendent should lead in other plans for get-
ting training work done. Special classes might be held one or
more afternoons during the week, or one evening each week for
ten weeks might be used. In some places and at some times
during the year, all day sessions could be held three or more
days and the work accomplished in this way. Workers also
should be urged to study the books individually and in so doing
get the value from the study and the credit for work done.
2. A Weekly Teachers' Meeting Should Be Maintained.
In addition to the general preparation secured by a study
of books, the teachers also need definite preparation for each
particular lesson. To meet this specific need the superintendent
should provide a weekly teachers' meeting. Necessarily this
meeting must be held some evening during the week, prefer-
ably Wednesday evening preceding the prayer meeting. In
many churches this meeting is held on Friday evening. The
teachers need to come together for fellowship, study, and
prayer. They need to study together the lesson for the next
Sunday and how to teach it. Many teachers are inexperienced
and the help they can get from the teachers' meeting cannot
be had from any other source. All Sunday school teachers
need this opportunity for definite preparation.
A good teachers' meeting, attended by all the teachers for
the purpose of lesson preparation, will largely solve the ab-
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 71
sent teacher problem on Sunday morning. As a rule teachers
are not absent from their places in the Sunday school through
necessity, but because they are not prepared ; and on the slight-
est pretext they absent themselves on Sunday morning. It is
a rare thing for a prepared teacher to be absent; likewise, it is
just as rare for the teacher who regularly attends the weekly
teachers' meeting to be absent.
Graded Lessons do not render a teachers' meeting impos-
sible. To be sure they increase the difficulties, but these are
not insurmountable and may be mastered by perseverance and
the use of the proper methods, when correctly understood. A
teachers' meeting is not a lecture, and indeed the class is not
taught like any other class may be taught. But rather, the
teachers' meeting is a demonstration — a kind of "show you
how" proceeding; more especially is this the case when Graded
Lessons are used.
In conducting a weekly teachers' meeting the arrangement of
the following program is practical and can be closely followed
to good advantage in the majority of large Sunday schools.
The lunch, if served at all, should be served without any
charge whatever to the officers and teachers.
( 1 ) Program of weekly teachers' meeting.
6:15 Lunch.
6:45 Department Meetings.
Department Conferences, 1 5 minutes.
Lessons for next Sunday, 30 minutes.
7:30 General Conference, all officers and teachers coming together
promptly.
Reports from Department Conferences.
General Problems.
Special Prayer.
7:45 Regular Prayer Meeting led by the pastor.
The purpose of the teachers' meeting, as contemplated in
this discussion, may be outlined as follows:
(2) Purpose of the weekly teachers' meeting.
a. Social.
The opportunity afforded by the thirty minutes' lunch for
fellowship is helpful and uplifting.
72 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
b. Business.
(a) The department conferences, led by the department
superintendent, preceding the lesson period, afford an oppor-
tunity for the consideration of vital questions concerning the
work of each department.
(b) The general conference, directed by the superintendent,
at the close of the department meetings, gives an opportunity for
the presentation and discussion of questions affecting the school
as a whole.
c. Lesson study.
(a) Uniform Lessons. "Angle Method." The "Angle
Method" presents a simple, practical plan to teachers for
gathering material, planning the lesson and methods of teach-
ing it. It should close at 7:30 for the general conference and
mid-week prayer meeting.
(b) Graded Lessons. Two graded lessons for the follow-
ing Sunday may be taught in each group for thirty minutes.
There may be talks on "Lesson Building," "Story-Telling,"
and other such subjects, for ten minutes, closing at 7:30 for
the general conference and mid-week prayer meeting.
d. Prayer.
At the close of the general conference the superintendent
should call for requests for prayer by teachers and by any in
the meeting who may have burdens. A season of quiet prayer
for five or ten minutes for lost pupils and friends and the sick
and needy in the congregation would be a fitting close to the
teachers* meeting. Likewise, it would give a fine impulse to
the mid-week prayer meeting just opening in charge of the
pastor. For a full discussion of a weekly teachers' meeting
see Chapter IX, Building a Standard Sunday School.
The superintendent who maintains a good weekly teachers*
meeting in his Sunday school will succeed.
IV. The superintendent should lead in winning
THE LOST TO CHRIST
It is impossible to have a soul-winning Sunday school wnth-
out a soul-winning superintendent. The superintendent should
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 73
keep the Sunday school at the business of winning the lost to
Christ continually. A supjerintendent will find here his great-
est joy and he should set himself to the task in dead earnest.
He will have to lead in this work if it is done. The matter
of praying for the lost and winning the lost should find a
prominent place in the teachers' meeting program each week.
This is necessary if the soul-winning fires are to be kept burn-
ing continually in the Sunday school.
In training the officers and teachers the superintendent should
see that at least one class in Sunday School Evangelism is con-
ducted each year. Preferably this class should be taught by
the pastor, but the superintendent should see that it is msdn-
tained. He should enlist in this class all the teachers and
officers, a large number of members of the Young People and
Adult classes and many of the older Intermediate pupils. He
should lead them in doing personal work with the lost. He
should see that the officers and teachers have opportunity to
read the best books on soul-winning, such as How to Win to
Christ, by Burroughs; With Christ After the Lost, by Scar-
borough; Talks on Soul-Winning, by Mullins; Personal Evan-
gelism, by Sellers, and Evangelism, by Hamilton. The Sun-
day school superintendent must be a soul-winner if he would
have a soul-winning Sunday school.
It will readily be seen that planning for this work cannot be
done on Sunday morning. Sunday morning is the reaping
time, and necessarily there will be little reaping unless there
has been some sowing during the week.
V. The superintendent should lead the school to
ATTEND THE PREACHING SERVICE
The Sunday school superintendent should see that the of-
ficers, teachers, and all the pupils above the Primary depart-
ment attend the preaching service. This obligation and this
responsibility are inescapable. These are many reasons why
Sunday school pupils should attend the preaching service, but
only three are given below:
They need to have the message of the teacher re-enforced
by the message of the pastor.
74 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
They need both the saving and comforting message of
the gospel as only the pastor can give it.
They need the opportunity afforded in the preaching service
to worship God.
The superintendent should get back of this important matter
with all of his influence and should use all the means at
his command to have the entire Sunday school attend the
preaching service Sunday morning. This will have to be
planned during the week and a thorough understanding should
be reached with the pastor, all of the officers, teachers, and
pupils, and should culminate Sunday morning in harmonious
action.
He should plan for and carry out the following defi-
nite suggestions which will practically guarantee the attendance
of a majority of the members of the school at the preaching
service.
1. He Should Hold Frequent Conferences With Officers
and Teachers.
It will be necessary for the superintendent to get all the
officers and teachers to agree to attend the preaching service
themselves and to do their best to lead their pupils to do so.
2. He Should Utilize the Six Point Record Sy^stem.
He should see that all of the officers and teachers thoroughly
understand the Six Point Record System, and co-operate with
the secretary in securing reports and giving them the necessary
publicity. He should see that each member in the Sunday
school is furnished with his individual monthly report on the
first Sunday morning in the month.
3. He Should Co-operate With the Pastor in Maying the
Unified Service Effective.
The Unified Service has proved to be a very effective help
in leading Sunday school pupils to remain for the preaching
service, where it is rightly planned and handled.
For a discussion of this method, see Chapter VII, Building
a Standard Sunday School.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 75
VI. The superintendent should plan for the
SOCIAL LIFE OF THE SCHOOL
The Sunday school superintendent should lead in planning
for the social life of the Sunday school. He should seek to
enlist and utilize the fine abilities of the officers, teachers, and
pupils in this work. He should lead in plemning for depart-
ment socials in every department, at least once each quarter.
He should also encourage the teachers in leading their classes in
class and inter-class socials. He should also plan for an an-
nual social for the entire Sunday school, which may be held
either in-doors or out-of-doors, according to the season.
Every church has within its membership one or more per-
sons with gifts especially fitting them for leadership in this use-
ful Sunday school activity and pleasing field of Christian
service. It is the Sunday school superintendent's first task to
discover this particular person, and have him formally elected
and set apart for the work. He should be made an associate
superintendent. He would, of course, work in co-operation
with the pastor, general superintendent, department superin-
tendents, and teachers in co-ordinating the entire social life of
the Sunday school and church. Under no circumstances should
there be a conflict betvv^een the Sunday school and the Training
Union in planning their socials. On the contrary, there should
be perfect harmony and co-operation between these two or-
ganizations.
1 . General Sunday School Social.
A social should be held for the entire Sunday school at least
annually. To be sure, the games and amusement features
should be planned by departments, but the entire school should
participate in this annual social affair.
In the event the school does not have a suitable building,
this general social may be held in the spring, summer, or early
fall, and be in the nature of an outing. Where the building
provides for an indoor social, a brief general program should
be carried out, and the games and refreshments should be had
in the different department rooms.
76 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
2. Department Socials.
The department socials should occur at least quarterly and
in the lower grades, perhaps, more often. They should be held
under the direct leadership of the department superintendents.
The general superintendent should see that these socials are
thoroughly planned. He should see also that they are properly
financed and that every child is provided a way to attend.
The socials of the children and Junior boys and girls should
occur in the afternoon when it is more suitable for them to
attend and when their mothers may also attend. The
other department socials would best occur in the evening. The
pastor, superintendent, department superintendents, and all
teachers should attend these socials.
3. Class Socials.
Class socials should be held under the direct guidance of the
teachers in the Junior and Intermediate departments and may
often be held in the homes of the teachers. Of course. Young
People, and Adult classes have their own social leaders who
should direct the social activities of the classes. Inter-class
socials are very delightful and teachers and social committees
should work together in planning for two or more classes of
young ladies and young men to have frequent socials together.
This is almost a sure method of class building. It touches the
young people at the point of greatest interest perhaps, and it is
well for the superintendent to keep in close, sympathetic touch
with the young people at this point.
CHAPTER VII
THE SUPERINTENDENT— HIS WORK DURING
THE WEEK
(Concluded)
In the preceding chapter we dealt with the work of the
superintendent during the week as follows:
I. The Superintendent Should Keep the School Thoroughly Organ-
ized.
II. The Superintendent Should Build the Sunday School.
III. The Superintendent Should Maintain a High Grade of Teaching.
IV. The Superintendent Should Lead in Winning the Lost to Christ.
V. The Superintendent Should Lead the School to Attend the Preach-
ing Service.
VI. The Superintendent Should Plan for the Social Life of the School.
In this chapter the week-day work of the superintendent will
be concluded under the following heads :
I. The Superintendent Should Plan His Sunday Morning Program.
II. The Superintendent Should See That the Six Point Record System
is Maintained.
III. The Superintendent Should See That the School is Properly
Equipped.
IV. The Superintendent Should Keep the School Informed About the
Work of the Denomination.
V. The Superintendent Should Lead the School to the Highest Point
of Efficiency.
VI. The Superintendent Should Plan for an Annual Vacation Bible
Ik. School.
I. The superintendent should plan the Sunday
MORNING PROGRAM
The superintendent's Sunday morning program must be
planned during the week if the Sunday morning session is to
be attractive and winsome. It is easy to have good order, good
singing, and a season of spiritual refreshing in a Sunday school
if the superintendent will give the time and study necessary in
[77]
78 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
planning for it. He should have a well-planned program every
Sunday.
1. The Program Material.
The superintendent can have all the variety he needs to
make the program attractive if he will build his program around
the lesson of the day. The lessons are all different cmd neces-
sarily the songs. Scriptures, and illustrations will be different.
He should utilize the different members of the school on the
program ; at times one or more classes, at other times a depart-
ment may be used to good advantage.
Material is abundant for making up these programs, both
where the Uniform and Graded Lessons are taught. The
Sunday School Builder contains well-wrought-out programs
which can be adapted by both general superintendents and de-
partment superintendents where Uniform Lessons are taught.
The Manuals for the department superintendents and the
teachers' books contain all the material needed for making at-
tractive programs in departments where Graded Lessons are
taught. However, these programs, as suggested above, must
be planned during the week fully ten days in advance, as the
parts must be assigned on Sunday morning, one week in ad-
vance.
2. The Secret of Successful Program Building.
There are certain laws or principles which, if rightly under-
stood, make the whole matter of having attractive, helpful pro-
grams in the Sunday school a very simple thing. This is true,
irrespective of department or kind of lessons. The most im-
portant secret of program making has already been stated
above. It is this: the program should be built around the les-
son of the day. That is to say, everything in the program —
all the songs, prayers, the Scriptures read, the illustrations
used, and all that is said and done — should grow out of the
lesson studied, and should teach and emphasize one or more of
the truths of the lesson.
There are also other principles underlying program-making
which the superintendent needs to understand in order to suc-
cessfully build his programs. These are very clearly set out
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 79
in the following fourfold purpose of the superintendent's Sun-
day morning program:
To teach one or more truths of the lesson of the day ;
To train the pupils, by using them on the program;
To edify and entertain the school by making the program
attractive; and
To enlist the indifferent members of the school.
Let us discuss these four points briefly under the next head.
3. The Design of the Program.
(1) To teach one or more of the truths in the lesson of
the day.
Selecting one or more of the lesson truths and building the
program around them, renders the getting up of a program
easy, and assures variety. The programs in their teaching will
be as different each Sunday as the lessons are different. The
superintendent should not give a lengthy preview of the lessons
at the opening, or a lengthy review* at the close of the school;
but the opening services should serve to send the pupils to their
classes hungry for the teacher's message, and the teachers
should be the better prepared, both in heart and mind, to im-
part the message.
Every song, every prayer, every Scripture read or recited
in the opening sei-vice should either grow out of or go into the
lesson of the day. Everything done should be conducive to a
spirit of worship in the school, without which the service will
be an empty failure.
(2) To utilize the pupils.
The superintendent has here a great opportunity through his
program to train in the use and reading of the Bible, in public
speaking, and in singing. Let it be understood and agreed
in the school that all officers, teachers, and pupils above eight
years of age shall bring their Bibles to the Sunday school. They
should be given an opportunity to use them in a practical way.
The pupils should sing special songs, solos, duets, quartets, and
class songs. They should be trained in quoting Scripture and re-
lating Bible incidents. The superintendent's program is the
place for all this — his every-Sunday programs as well as special-
80 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
day programs. All should be given an opportunity to express
themselves. The reason so many Sunday schools are lifeless
is because the superintendent does all the tedking.
(3) To entertain and edify.
Every Sunday school service, as well as every other church
service, ought to be attractive. There is no excuse for a dull
moment in any religious service, and especially in a Sunday
school where everything is conducive to enjoyment. This is
not a plaint, but the great majority of "openmg and closing
exercises" in Sunday schools are so uninteresting and utterly
devoid of attractiveness that young people and boys and girls
cannot be blamed for their lack of interest in them. The
services can be made attractive and helpful to all; when they
are, people will attend. They will go where they get some-
thing; there is no doubt about this. The program should be
carefully planned, thoroughly prepared, and well executed.
Give the people something and they will attend.
(4) To enlist the indifferent.
This is another design of the program. The way to enlist
people in any kind of an enterprise is to make them realize that
they are a part of it. Give them something to do. By using
a pupil on the program to do something simple — to sing a song
or quote a verse of Scripture — he will become enlisted in all
that pertains to the Sunday school, also his friends and class
will take fresh interest in the affairs of the school. A class is
called on to sing a song, the teacher and entire department be-
come interested at once and anxious that the song may be well
sung. One important item in the design of the program is to
enhst the indifferent and secure their co-operation in building
up the school.
' r
4. The Time Question.
The time question in making the program is of vital impor-
tance and when this question is settled right — that is, when the
superintendent is willing to give the necessary time during the
week in which to prepare and arrange his programs — the pro-
grams can be what they ought to be and not before.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 81
( 1 ) When to begin.
At least ten days to two weeks ahead, the superintendent
should begin studying the lesson, and gathering material for
arranging the program. This must all be done, and the pro-
gram should be assigned on Sunday morning a week in advance.
Teachers should also be notified that their pupils are on duty.
They should encourage them, and assist in their preparation,
meeting with them once or oftener during the week to practice
or rehearse if necessary. Careful planning, timely preparation,
and ceaseless praying are three essentials in building and ar-
ranging a good program.
(2) The necessary time.
The amount of time necessary to spend on a program de-
pends on the lesson and the material at hand. Some lessons
are easier to master than others and material is much more
abundant in some cases and m.ore easily arranged. Experience
teaches, however, that it requires not less than eight hours on
the least difficult programs and from ten to twelve hours on the
more difficult ones. Great improvement in thousands of Sun-
day schools all over the Southland would result if superin-
tendents would definitely set aside one hour each day and three
or four hours on Sunday for the study of the Sunday school
and the preparation of their programs. It is worth it! Who
will do it?
The superintendent of a thoroughly departmentized Sunday
school, in which each department meets in its own separate
quarters and conducts its own Sunday morning sessions very
naturally would not need to build a program, such as we have
been discussing, to be conducted by himself from the platform.
However, in all the departments where the Uniform Lessons
are used the department superintendents could, and should,
plan their programs, diligently observing these principles and
methods of program building. And even in departments where
Graded Lessons are used these principles form the true founda-
tion for correct program making.
In all Sunday schools which meet in one-room buildings
where all the age-groups meet together, also in Sunday schools
82 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
in which the higher grades are combined with the general super-
intendent in charge of the platform work, the superintendent
should plan his programs in harmony with the suggestions given
in this book.
Should the superintendent use the suggested programs in
The Sunday School Builder, he will be saved hours of work
in collecting material, selecting the truth or truths around which
to build his programs, and also in arranging them.
II. The superintendent should see that the six
POINT record system IS MAINTAINED
A good system of records is necessary to the best Sunday
school success. It is not enough that the secretary should
understand how to keep records and make reports, but all
the officers and teachers led by the superintendent should
study the question of keeping records and making reports.
He is the man responsible) for good cind illuminating reports.
He should master the Six Point Record System and know
every step in its operation. He should give the secretary
sympathetic co-operation. He should plan for reports at the
close of the school Sunday morning, at the weekly teach-
ers' meeting and the monthly workers' conference. He
should also have his monthly report printed, if possible, and
put into the hands of every member of the church and Sun-
day school. If this is not practicable he should have the
monthly report printed on a large chart or blackboard and
call the attention of the entire church to the report the first
Sunday morning in each month.
Free literature is to be had for the asking and should be on
hand for the superintendent's study and for distribution to the
other workers. Frequent conferences should be held with the
workers and the highest efficiency maintained in the operation
and use of the records.
III. The SUPERINTENDENT SHOULD SEE THAT THE
SCHOOL IS PROPERLY EQUIPPED
In the large schools it may be best to assign this phase of
the work to one of the associate superintendents. He may be
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 83
designated Superintendent of Equipment. At the same time
the general Superintendent is responsible for the kind of equip-
ment supplied for the workers in each department and class.
Department superintendents and teachers should not find
it necessary to provide means for equipping their departments
or classes. It is not fair to the workers, nor is it for the best
interest of the department, class, or Sunday school as a whole.
1 . He Should Knon? Hon) to Equip the Sunday School.
He should study the latest books and literature on church
architecture and be able to adjust the building to the Sunday
school. Often a few simple changes in the building will make
it almost ideal. Frequently, changing a class from one room to
another will greatly facilitate matters and often make a place
for an entire department to work, at the same time not in-
juring the work of the class. The Sunday school superin-
tendent should know how to utilize and economize the space
in the church building in order to get the best results from
the Sunday school.
The superintendent should also know the necessary material
and tools for each department in the Sunday school; in this
way he will be able to help the teachers and officers in sup-
plying themselves with the best things for each class and de-
partment. The Sunday School Board has much good litera-
ture on this question for the superintendent to study.
2. He Should See That Necessary Funds Are Supplied.
The best way to finance a Sunday school is for the church
to do it and have all the offerings of the Sunday school
go into the church treasury ; however, many churches have not
this conception of their obligation to the Sunday school. In
such cases, of course, the Sunday school will have to finance
itself. It will be an easy matter for any Sunday school to
be more than self-supporting. In order to do this it v^ll not
be necessary to take special offerings and urge the people
to give; this should not be done. If the Six Point Record
System and individual report envelopes are used, the Sun-
day school will have more than enough money to defray its
expenses.
84 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
Again, let it be said that it is a bad idea to urge Sunday
school pupils to give to the support of the Sunday school.
It is worse to announce that the Sunday school is in debt and
that money is needed to pay its expense. There is no neces-
sity for this if the superintendent will intelligently plan for
financing of the school.
IV. The superintendent should keep the school
INFORMED ABOUT THE WORK OF THE DENOMINA-
TION
A large per cent of the pupils in the Sunday school are
not church members, nor do they belong to the Training Union,
and unless the Sunday school has a constructive program for
the indoctrination of the children and young people and for
their instruction in missions and stewardship, they will grow up
in utter ignorance of what Baptists believe and what they are
doing.
There are heavy obligations resting upon the Sunday school
to educate and train its entire constituency concerning all the
things Southern Baptists are doing as a great denomination.
Adequate plans have been provided to meet these obligations.
1 . A Threefold Obligation.
(1) We owe it to ourselves as Baptists to develop our
Sunday schools along denominational lines, to teach the Scrip-
tures as we believe them, to inform the people concerning our
educational and benevolent enterprises, and to afford them
frequent opportunities to make contributions to the support
of our work.
(2) We owe it to our Sunday school pupils themselves
to give them the Baptist point of view, to acquaint them with
the great Baptist world program, and to help each one of them
find a place in that program where he can serve best.
(3) We owe it to a lost world to give to our Baptist
Sunday school boys and girls and our young people the gospel
message of saving grace as Baptists believe it, to acquaint
them with the world's need of this message, and to urge them
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 85
to take this message of light and hfe to the millions of earth
who "sit in darkness and in the shadow of death."
2. Adequate Plans Provided.
The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Conven-
tion has adopted a Calendar of Denominational Activities and
offered it for the use of our forces at large. The Sunday
School Board fosters this Calendar to the extent of furnishing
free literature and providing program material in the regular
magazines for use by Sunday schools in observing the emphases
contained in the Calendar.
The high points in this Calendar are the special Missionary
Days: Home and Foreign Mission Day, the last Sunday in
March, and State Mission Day the last Sunday in October.
In addition to these, however, provision is made for the presen-
tation of programs on State Baptist Schools, the Southwide
Seminaries, Baptist Hospitals, Baptist Orphanages, State De-
nominational Papers, and the Relief and Annuity Board. In
most of these programs a place is made for taking an offering
to be devoted to the special cause presented.
The superintendent should secure the free literature describ-
ing this Calendar, lead his school to adopt it, and use it as a
constantly, recurring opportunity to introduce the dynamic of
Missions into his school, through giving missionary instruction
and enlisting gifts and prayers for our worldwide work.
Think of what it would mean to our denominational agen-
cies if every one of our more than 2 1 ,000 Sunday schools
should consistently present these different causes each year and
take an offering for them!
Sunday school superintendents should thoroughly inform
themselves about the work of Southern Baptists and intelli-
gently and vigorously plan to utilize these fine provisions for
developing the mission spirit of our Sunday school pupils and
to increase their sense of loyalty to our denominational enter-
prises.
See Chapter XI of Building a Standard Sunday School for
a fuller discussion of this.
86 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
V. The superintendent should bring the Sunday
SCHOOL to the highest POINT OF EFFICIENCY
This is exemplified in the two Standards of Excellence set
up by the Baptist Sunday School Board. These Standards
along with the Department and Class Standards contain a
finely wrought-out program of development, looking toward
the accomplishment of the highest degree of effectiveness in
Sunday school work. Not only do they serve as programs of
work, but they become objectives such as are necessary to
worth-while achievement.
1 . The First Standard.
The First Standard of Excellence is here given with sug-
gestions for reaching it. The attainment of all the points
entitles the school to be recognized as a Standard Sunday
School. The recognition is for the calendar year.
I. Church Control
The church shall elect the officers and teachers; the school shall make
monthly or quarterly reports to the church.
II. Enrolment
The enrolment of the school, including the Extension department but
exclusive of the Cradle Roll, shall equal the number of resident church
members as recognized by the church itself. Or exclusive of both the
Cradle Roll and Extension department, the school's enrolment shall equal
seventy-five (75) per cent of the resident church members.
III. Graded
The school shall be graded as follov^s: Cradle Roll, Birth to 3;
Beginners, 4, 5; Primaries, 6-8; Juniors, 9-12; Intermediates, 13-16;
Young People, 1 7-24 ; Adults, 25 and above.
The Beginner, Primary, and Junior departments shall occupy their own
quarters separated from the rest of the school by walls or movable parti-
tions, or at least by curtams. Classrooms or curtained space shall be
provided for at least 50 per cent of the remaining classes.
IV. Baptist Literature
Southern Baptist Sunday school literature shall be used throughout the
school. The Young People's and Adult classes may use any of the
several treatments of the Uniform Lessons specified for them. The Begin-
ners, Primaries, Juniors, and Intermediates may use either the Graded
Lessons or the Uniform Lessons especially adapted by the Sunday School
Board for each age group.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 87
V. Bibles Used
The Bible shall be used in the school above the Primary department
by at least seventy-five (75) per cent of the teachers and pupils in
attendance.
VI. Preaching Attendance
The attendcince of the school upon the preaching service shall equal
seventy-five (75) per cent of the Sunday school attendance above the
Primary department.
VII. Evangelism
The school shall be positively evangelistic: the teachers shall earnestly
seek to lead their pupils to Christ; the superintendent and pastor shall
give frequent opportunities for the pupils to confess Christ publicly, and
urge them to do so.
VIII. Weekly Teachers' Meeting or Monthly Workers'
Conference
The school shall maintain a Weekly Teachers' Meeting or a Monthly
Workers' Conference, attended by at least fifty (50) per cent of the
officers and teachers.
IX. Trained Workers
(Effective Only for the Year of 1936)
Fifty (50) per cent of the general officers, including the pastor or the
superintendent, shall hold the Sunday School Administration Course
Diploma; fifty (50) per cent of the officers and teachers, including the
pastor or superintendent, shall hold a Convention Normal Course Diploma.
Or fifty (50) per cent of all the officers and teachers, including the
pastor or superintendent, shall have the award for the study of Building
a Standard Sunday School.
There shall be a Training Class completing at least one book a year.
X. Denominational Work
The Sunday school shall actively promote the general missionary, edu-
cational, and benevolent causes fostered by the denomination; at least
four of these causes shall be presented to the school educationally, and
to these the school, as a school, s'tiall contribute each year in line with
the policy of the church.
Suggestions for Reaching this Standard
( 1 ) Let the superintendent order from the Sunday School
Board a Hberal supply of free literature on the Standard.
Also, let him secure wall charts for each department room and
for the general assembly room.
88 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
(2) Let the superintendent and the pastor thoroughly
famiharize themselves with the Standard, being sure they
understand each point perfectly.
(3) Let the superintendent call a meeting of all the officers
and teachers and discuss the Standard until all have a perfect
knowledge of what it means. Go over the different points,
place seals opposite those already attained. Let him secure
unanimous and enthusiastic agreement to adopt it.
(4) Let the superintendent bring the matter of the Standard
before the Sunday school and explain it briefly; also, let this
be done in each department and class.
(5) Keep the Standard before the school continually, mak-
ing brief references to it from time to time. Place a large
seal opposite each point as it is attained.
(6) When the Standard has been reached make much of
the occasion. Secure the pennant from the Board and keep it
displayed in full view of the entire congregation.
2. The Advanced Standard.
As quickly as the First Standard is reached, and even be-
fore, the superintendent should frequently refer to the Advanced
Standard and suggest that nothing short of its attainment will
satisfy his ambitions for the school. He should then pursue the
same methods with reference to the Advanced Standard as
were used in informing the school about the First Standard.
In fact the wise superintendent will have in mind the attain-
ment of the Advanced Standard all along and, while working
to attain the First Standard, he will quietly be planning for
the attainment of the Advanced Standard.
TTie Advanced Standard of Excellence represents the
highest attainment of efficiency known to the Sunday school
world. And Sunday schools which measure up to the ten
requirements set out in this Standard, in spirit as well as in
letter, will be in position to do a mighty service in the Kingdom.
Copies of this Advanced Standard may be had without
charge upon request to the Baptist Sunday School Board,
Nashville, Tennessee, along with copies of all the department
and class Standards which are required by it.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 89
VI. The Superintendent Should Plan for An An-
nual Vacation Bible School
As has been suggested before in this text, this fine oppor-
tunity for additional Bible teaching and Christian development
is definitely related to the work of the Sunday school. In fact,
the Vacation Bible school is an extension of the work of the
Sunday school. The Beginner, Primary, Junior, and Inter-
mediate age groups are gathered on week days for from five
to twenty days soon after the close of the public schools. Gen-
erally the schedule runs three hours a day for five days a
week. As far as possible, the officers and teachers of these
departments in the Sunday school should work in the same
departments of the Vacation school.
It is a great Sunday school opportunity. The superintendent
should consult with the pastor and these two, with the depart-
ment superintendents involved, should study the Vacation
school possibilities and make plans to have one every year.
The church should vote to make the Vacation Bible school a
division of the Sunday school, then the superintendent should
see to it each year that a principal is selected, a time for the
school decided, and plans made. The Vacation Bible School
Guide should be secured and carefully studied. Credit for
this book is offered in Section Seven of the Training Course for
Sunday School Workers. Free literature may be secured from
any State Sunday School Secretary or the Vacation Bible
School Department of the Baptist Sunday School Board.
The superintendent should lend such assistance as he may,
lead the Sunday school in whole-hearted support of the Vaca-
tion school and its faculty, and see to it that the Sunday school
profits in every way possible from the work of the Vacation
school.
CHAPTER VIII
THE SUPERINTENDENT— HIS DUTIES SUNDAY
MORNING
The duties of the superintendent on Sunday morning in
a Sunday school which meets in a one-room building with the
superintendent in charge of the program are entirely different
from the duties of the superintendent of a Sunday school in
which all the departments meet separately, each having its own
progrcun conducted by a department superintendent. However,
no matter what the type of the Sunday school, the superin-
tendent's duties will be such as to occupy every moment of
his time, from the moment he reaches the building, which
should be thirty minutes before time for the Sunday school to
open, until time for the public worship at eleven o'clock.
It is the aim in this chapter to show, in a practical way,
what should be done and how to do it. The following outline
will help in setting out the Sunday morning duties of the
superintendent:
I. Pre-session Period.
II. Period of Opening Worship.
III. The Lesson Period.
IV. The Re-assembly Period.
V. Period of Public Worship.
I. Pre-session Period
The superintendent should reach the building at least a half-
hour before time to open the school, and he will find that he
can spend these thirty minutes of pre-session time to a great
advantage. He will certainly find the right use of these thirty
minutes essential to the highest success of his work.
1 . Wrong Uses of the Pre-session Period.
There are many wrong ideas as to the value and proper use
of this particular period of time, and before going into a dis-
cussion of what the Sunday school superintendent should do
at this time, it will be best to clear away some misunderstand-
ings. In order to do this, let us see first how this period of time
[90]
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 91
should not be employed and what the superintendent should
not attempt to do or allow to be done.
( 1 ) As a teachers' meeting.
This is not the time for a teachers' meeting and the super-
intendent should not undertake to hold one at this time, nor
should he allow the officers and teachers in the departments
to hold one; other things of importance should have the right-
of-way during this period. It is too late on Sunday to have
a teachers' meeting. The teachers' meeting should have been
held at some time earher in the week when the results of the
study of the lesson could have been utilized for better prepar-
ation.
(2) As a prayer meeting.
Certainly no one would be guilty of saying that we do not
need to pray in the Sunday school a great deal more than
we do. Most certainly we do. But "there is a time for
everything," and there is a time for prayer, but preceding the
opening of the school is not the time ; at least, it is not the time
for the officers and teachers to meet all together or in depart-
ment groups for a prayer meeting. Other matters of great
importance need the attention of the superintendent and the
other officers and teachers at this time. The preparation for the
session of the school, which is possible only through prayer,
should have had attention before reaching the building Sunday
morning.
(3) As a Sunday school social.
In many Sunday schools one is impressed with the amount
of hilarity and confusion that is manifest before the Sunday
school opens. Where so many children and j'^oung people
meet together, unless their energies are wisely directed, it
should not be surprising if they become noisy and carry their
fun and frolic beyond proper bounds. If the superintendent,
other officers and teachers are late in reaching the school, or if
they are engaged in a teachers' meeting or workers' conference
or prayer meeting before the school opens, they cannot give
the pupils, who arrive early, the attention which they need.
92 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
There is perhaps no time when the pupils need the care and
attention of their teachers more than at this time. Especially is
this true of boys and girls and the children.
Let us now turn from this view of the pre-session of the
Sunday school cind see what the pre-session is and what the
officers and teachers should be doing at this time.
2. Right Uses of the Pre-session Period.
( 1 ) A time and opportunity for the superintendent to study
the school.
As has already been remarked, the superintendent should
be on hand fully thirty minutes before the school opens. He
should go into every department room, and every classroom
and see that the building is comfortable, and that everything
is in order for the school to open. To be sure, this is a
matter which should be attended to by the department superin-
tendents, but at the same time it is also the duty of the general
superintendent to be familiar with the condition of the building
and he should not neglect it.
The superintendent should be on hand to greet the early
comers and see that all the department officers are on hand
promptly. He will in this way have an opportunity to study
the situation and thus be able to lead intelligently in the solu-
tion of the problems which arise in the Sunday school.
If the superintendent is habitually on hand thirty minutes be-
fore time for the school to open, he will find that this habit of
his will influence the officers and teachers also to be prompt
in their attendance. The question is often asked. How get
teachers to come on time? The best way is for the general
superintendent and department superintendents to be thirty
minutes ahead of time. Likewise, if teachers are prompt in
their attendance, the majority of their pupils will follow their
example.
The superintendent should greet every general officer and
department superintendent personally and have a word of good
cheer for each one. Likewise, he should speak to as many
teachers and pupils as possible. This fine opportimity for
fellowship and preparation for the session will be lost if the
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 93
superintendent is late in arriving or if he is attending a pre-
session prayer meeting or teachers' meeting.
(2) A time and opportunity for department superintend-
ents to study their departments.
Department superintendents should be as prompt in reach-
ing the building as the general superintendent. They should
see that all their officers and teachers are on hand promptly.
They should see that the department room and the classrooms
are in perfect condition. They should meet and greet all their
teachers as they arrive, and become personally and intimately
acquainted with as many of their pupils as possible. The
presence of the department superintendents before the school
opens will tend to keep the exuberant spirits of the young
people and children within proper bounds and will greatly
assist in securing a proper setting for the opening of the Sunday
school.
(3) A time and opportunity for teachers to get acquainted
rvith their pupils.
It is doubtful if Sunday school teachers can employ any
period of the Sunday school to better advantage than a few
minutes just before the school opens. To be sure teachers may
know the names of their pupils and their general characteristics,
but here an opportunity is afforded them really to get ac-
quainted with them individually and find out about the deepest
spiritual need of each one as well as his mental and social
needs. Terms of intimacy may be established between teach-
ers and pupils at this time which are essential if the proper class
spirit is to be maintained.
(4) A time and opportunity to have a good time.
This is not a contradiction of what has already been said on
the negative side of this matter. Children getting to day school
early may use the time for hilarious games and fun until they
are called to line up and march into the building. But that
is not the only kind of a good time. Pupils who come early
may meet and greet their friends and have a good time
socially. They may also greet strangers and make them feel
94 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
at home. Members of classes in the Young People's and Adult
departments will find an opportunity at this time to do some real
class work.
II. Period of opening worship
This period should ordinarily consume about twenty min-
utes before the lesson. Of course, where the school is fully
departmentized, all of the departments will not follow the
same schedule. Nevertheless, the discussion given here offers
needed admonition for this is a much abused period of time in
countless numbers of Sunday schools. Countless thousands of
pupils and teachers have suffered untold agonies Sunday after
Sunday because the superintendent did not know what to do
with these golden minutes. With the view of correcting some
mistakes concerning this period let us look at some things to
be avoided before we discuss what really should be done at this
time.
1. Things to Be Avoided.
( 1 ) A perfunctory **order of exercise.**
There is perhaps no better way to make the Sunday school
unattractive and lifeless than to follow the same "order of
exercise" Sunday after Sunday. This sort of an exercise
usually resolves itself into a perfunctory performance and is
neither attractive nor interesting to anybody.
(2) Mere **time killing.**
This is not the place for the superintendent to consume
fifteen or twenty minutes in an aimless sort of way, looking
up songs and shouting for order. Nor should he allow the
time before the lesson to be consumed by a jazz orchestra,
sawdng off one piece after another for thirty or forty minutes
because he does not know what to do. How often has one
heard the remark by the superintendent, "Let us sing two
verses of another song, the people are a little late in coming
this morning.**
(3) Speech-making.
In many Sunday schools the superintendent seems to think
that he should preview the lesson or expound the Scriptures
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 95
before the lesson period or call upon some other brother to
do so. This twenty minutes of precious time before the
lesson period is not intended for this sort of thing, and wise
superintendents will not do it themselves or allow others to
doit.
2. Things to Be Done.
( I ) A time for worship.
The element of worship needs to be emphasized more and
more in our Sunday schools, in every department and class.
A spirit of worship should characterize every session of the
Sunday school. When this feature is ehminated from the
program, one of the most attractive and helpful features is
gone. This is the feature that really gives warmth, vitality, and
charm to a Sunday school session and power to a Sunday
school lesson. The officers, teachers, and pupils — all need to
worship. The superintendent's program should be planned with
this feature uppermost. Likewise, every department and class,
which meets separately on Sunday morning, should have a real
service of devotion preceding the lesson.
(2) A time for fellowship.
Fellowship in worship, fellowship in service, singing to-
gether, praying together, reading the Scriptures together —
all tend towards creating and maintaining a spirit of delightful
fellowship in the school.
{3) A time of preparation for the lesson period.
This period should be used to create a proper setting for
the teaching of the lesson. Every song and prayer should
direct the thoughts of the school towards the lesson of the day.
The twenty minutes of opening worship should prepare the
heart and mind of the pupils for the message of the teacher;
and, likevsnise, it should prepare the teachers in heart and mind
for teaching the lesson. The program of the superintendent
should be so plaimed and so conducted as to have just this
effect.
The superintendent should be on the platform and see thai
the school opens promptly. He should have on his desk a
96 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
written program by which to conduct the session of the school
that morning. He should be so familiar with his program that
he can go from one point to another without a break. Of
course, he should not do everything himself, he should use
the other officers, the teachers, and the pupils on the program,
but he should always have his hand on the situation and not
allow a dull moment to mar the attractiveness of the program.
Every thing done should better prepare the school for the
teaching of the lesson which is to follow.
III. The lesson period
This is the most important period of the entire Sunday
school session. Everything done by officers and teachers both
during the week and on Sunday morning should be done with
a view to getting the best results out of this period. Not less
than thirty-five or forty minutes should be devoted to it and it
should not be infringed upon for any cause whatever. The
quality of work done by the teachers during this time will
determine more than anything else the character of the Sunday
school. The entire Sunday school organization exists pri-
marily for making this period effective.
Two things should be done during this period: secure re-
ports and teach the lesson.
1. Reports.
Immediately at the close of the period of worship the classes
should go to their places in the building. The first five minutes
should be given to securing reports. If the Sunday school uses
the Six Point Record System, no five minutes of the lesson
period can be used more advantageously by the teacher than
in securing an accurate report from each pupil on the Six Points
involved. The fact that time is required to secure these re-
ports only emphasizes their value. Every teacher should
thoroughly master the system of records used in the Sunday
school and count it as much a part of his work to secure
accurate reports as to teach the lesson. The general super-
intendents and department superintendents should see to it that
sufficient time is given for securing reports that mean something.
Simply marking a pupil present and getting an offering from him
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 97
is at best a poor subterfuge and certainly gives little evidence of
the Sunday school being a real school.
Reports should be promptly gathered and turned over to the
secretaries, who should withdraw and finish making up the
records without interfering with the teaching of the lesson.
Plans should be made for taking the report at the door of those
who come late. Pupils who come after the secretaries have
finished making up the records for the day should be counted
in the total aggregate for the day as late pupils or visitors.
2. The Lesson.
The next thirty or thirty-five minutes should be given to
the teaching of the lesson. Superintendents should see to it
that teachers are not interrupted during this time. Late pupils
should be admitted quietly and seated at the rear of the class
with the least confusion possible. Under no circumstances
should secretaries and others be allowed to come into the class
after the teacher has begun the teaching of the lesson. There
will be no trouble at this point if the proper dihgence is exer-
cised on the part of officers and teachers. This is the teacher's
time and opportunity to do the thing the Sunday school stands
for — the teaching of God*s Word. If he fails, isn't the Sun-
day school largely a failure?
3. The Superintendents Duties During the Lesson Period.
The superintendent should remain at his desk for a few
minutes in order that he may be easily accessible to the officers
and others who desire to confer with him about matters per-
taining to their duties. The pastor may wish to see him about
the services which are to follow. The department superintend-
ents may need his advice, or perhaps the secretary. He should
be within easy reach for the first five minutes of the lesson
period anyway.
The superintendent should try to meet the visitors. He
should by all means see that teachers are not interrupted during
this period. He may go quietly into the different departments
from time to time without interrupting the teachers, or inter-
fering with the department programs. The duties of the super-
98 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
intendent during the lesson period are more particularly set
out in the programs which are suggested in the next chapter.
IV. The re-assembly period
The superintendent should see that the Lesson Period closes
promptly and that all classes go immediately to the assembly
room. Failure on the part of any department or class to
observe the signal to dismiss promptly will always produce
disorder and confusion and delay the program of the entire
school. The superintendent should see that this is avoided.
The superintendent should be on the platform as the school
reassembles to the accompaniment of appropriate music by the
orchestra or the piano. Perfect quiet should be secured be-
fore announcing the song or prayer. Order may be secured by
having the school stand before announcing the song. Then
should follow a delightful and interesting service of devotion.
Also the secretary's report may be placed before the school
on a blackboard. Strangers, visitors, and new pupils should
be suitably introduced and cordially welcomed by the super-
intendent. Banner classes and 1 00 per cent pupils should be
appropriately recognized, matters of interest to the entire
school should be briefly and attractively announced. The
entire school above the Primary department may sit together
in departments and classes for the preaching service.
What the superintendent's program should consist of at the
re-assembly period is brought out more in detail in the specimen
program in the next chapter.
V. Period of public worship
What has the superintendent to do with the preaching serv-
ice? What relation does the Sunday school sustain to this
service? Is it among the duties of the superintendent to co-
operate with the pastor in holding the Sunday school to the
service of public worship? Most assuredly the entire Sunday
school — every officer, teacher, and pupil — needs the preaching
service. On the other hand, the preaching service needs the
Sunday school and the superintendent should and can, with
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 99
the pastor *s co-operation, hold the Sunday school for this
service.
How may this be done?
1 . The pastor should desire it and make the service appeal
to the interest of the entire Simday school.
2. The superintendent should secure the co-operation of all
the officers and teachers to attend and use their influence to get
their pupils to do so.
3. The superintendent should lead the school to recognize
the preaching service as a part of the regular Sunday morning
program.
4. The Six Point Record System should be used in the
school; this specially emphasizes the preaching service as a
feature of the Sunday school's activities.
5. The Sunday school should not be dismissed at all on
Sunday morning, but the tv^o services — the Sunday school and
the preaching service — should be merged without formal an-
nouncement. This is being done successfully in many
churches, both large and small, to the mutual helpfulness of
both services, the salvation of lost pupils and the edification of
the saved.
CHAPTER IX
THE SUPERINTENDENT'S SUNDAY MORNING
PROGRAM
In this chapter two programs are submitted for the guidance
of superintendents on Sunday morning. The first is a practical
schedule of work for Sunday schools which meet in one-room
buildings and in schools in which provision is made for the
lower grades to meet separately and the higher grades to meet
together with the general superintendent in charge of the pro-
gram.
The wise superintendent will always invoke the aid and seek
the co-operation of all the teachers that all the pupils, as well
as the officers and teachers, may be used to the best advantage
on the programs and that the programs may be made most
attractive. The children must not be neglected.
This schedule is also practical for Young People's and Adult
departments and may be easily adapted for use in Intermediate
departments where the Uniform Lessons are used. A pro-
gram for each Sunday similar to the one given here is to be
found in the monthly magazine. The Sunday School Builder.
PROGRAM NO. I.
Subject: Nehemiah the Builder
9:00 Pre-session Period — 30 minutes.
The superintendent should meet and greet all officers, teachers,
and pupils.
He should see that the building is clean, well ventilated and
comfortable.
He should see that all officers and teachers are present, and if any
are absent that substitutes are supplied.
[100]
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 101
He should see thai everything is in order for the school to
open promptly.
He should have a v^rritten program before him and run the
school according to the program.
The 8up>erintendent should be in personal charge of the plat-
form work of the Sunday school. In the event that he desires
to turn the opening or closing v^orship over to his associate
or to a particular department or class at any time, he should
know that the program has been previously arranged and that
it is not of such length to intrude upon the time of the period
which is to follow. He should be on the platform or near-by
with his hand on the helm.
9:30 Opening IVonhip — 20 minutes.
Song — "Bringing in the Sheaves.''
Prayer — By one of the teachers.
Song — "Stepping in the Light."
Introduction — By two Young People's class pupils.
First Pupil — Nehemiah in Shushan.
The winter palace and capital of the Persian monarchs was
Shushan, a city 250 miles east of Babylon. The royal palace
was famed for its grandeur and magnificence. In this palace,
serving as cup-bearer to the king, was a Jewish exile, Nehemiah.
To hold such a p>ost Implied the enjoyment of the king's special
confidence. Learning of the desolate condition of the returned
colony in Judea, he was filled with such sadness that it was
manifest in his countenance. The king, learning the source of
Nehemiah's grief, made arrangement to permit him to go to
Jerusalem at once, the king furnishing a strong escort and supply-
ing him with all the necessary passports. The honest ruggedness
of Nehemiah's character is strongly emphasized through the fact
that, although living in the midst of luxury and commanding a
princely salary, yet he never lost his burden for Jerusalem.
Second Pupil — Nehemiah in Jerusalem.
Upon his arrival in Jerusalem, the genius of Nehemiah for
organized leadership became apparent at once. Within three
days he had made a personal investigation and inspection of the
walls of the city emd called the p>eople together for a conference.
The work of rebuilding was begun at once, and proceeded with
such dispatch that in a wonderfully short time the walls began
to emerge from the heaps of rubbish and to take on the appear-
ance of former days. The tact, courage, and wisdom of Nehe-
miah were severely taxed through the opposition of the heathen
population when they realized what was being done, but his
qualities of leadership never failed him, and the seemingly im-
possible was accomplished. — Criffilh.
Song — "As a Volunteer."
102 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
Scripture Lesson — To be read by three classes.
1. Nehemiah's Workers (Neh. 4: 6).
2. Nehemiah's Enemies (Neh. 4: 7-12).
3. Nehemiah's Defense (NeJi. 4: 13-18).
9:50 Lesson Period — 35 minutes.
1. Teachers should use the first five minutes in making up re-
ports and attending to various class interests, and should devote the
last thirty minutes to the lesson.
2. The superintendent should guard the teachers from inter-
ruptions and see that they are accorded full thirty minutes for
teaching the lesson and that the time is not taken up writh other
matters. He should call the school together promptly for the
closing program.
10:25 Closing IVorship — 20 minutes.
Song — "Zeal, Our Watchword."
Prater — By one of the teachers.
Secretary's Report on Blaclfhoard — Let the superintendent use
two minutes calling attention to the good things in the report.
Let him recognize new pupils, visitors. Banner Classes, 100
per cent pupils, and let him make inquiry about sick members
of the school, and if there are such have a special prayer for
them.
"The Compelling Power of a Great Objective" — By a young
man.
Nehemiah was a man who "did things." His unfaltering faith
in God and persistent prayer for divine help, back of his equally
persistent activity and unfaltering zeal brought to a successful
ending cin enterprise whose difficulties would have staggered
smaller men. One of Nehemiah's great assets for his work
was his belief in the greatness of his object. Four times San-
ballat requested him to meet him for a conference on the Plain
of Ono. This would have taken Nehemiah away from Jerusa-
lem for four days, and thus delay the work, so he gave his
famous answer: "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot
come down." The greatness, the impelling, overwhelming im-
porlcmce of his work, the priority of its demands over all things
else, filled his mind and heart. There is nothing like absorption
in a noble task to save one from the assaults of evil. Four
times Sanballat sent this invitation, but the fifth time he gave
a new pretext for a conference, the report that Nehemiah was
building the walls with the intention of rebelling against Persia.
Though Sanballat declared that he would report this slander to
the king, Nehemiah did not deign to discuss it with him but
merely kept on working, which is the best way to answer all
slander.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 103
Sentence Sermons — By a group of Intermediate pupils.
1. They who tread the path of labor, follow where Christ's
feet have trod; they who work without complaining, do the holy
will of God.
2. All true work is sacred; in all true work, were it but hand-
labor, there is something of divineness. Labor, wide ai the earth,
has its summit in heaven. — Thomas Carl})le.
3. "Hewing wood and drawing water, splitting stones and
cleaving sod.
All the dusty ranks of labor, in the regiment of God,
March together towards his triumph, do the task his hands
prepare ;
Honest toil is holy service; faithful work is praise and
prayer."
4. He who has failed to do the work that lies nearest his hand
is not likely to succeed at anything else. It is not for you to
say whether or not anything is worthy when it has once been
given you to do. You have only to do it and make it worthy of
the doing. — Reed.
5. This is the Gospel of Labor — ring it, ye bells of the kirk;
The Lord of love came down from above, to live with the
men who work.
This is the, rose that he planted, here in the thorn-cursed
soil —
Heaven is blessed with perfect rest, but the blessing of earth
is toil.
— Henry Van Dp^e.
6. No man is born into the world whose work is not born
with him; there is always work and tools to work withal, for
those who will, and blessed are the horny hands of toill — Lowell.
7. How do you tackle your work each day? Are you scared
of the job you find?
Do you grapple the task that comes yoxxr way with a confi-
dent, easy mind?
Do you stand right up to the work ahead, or fearfully pause
to view it?
Do you start to toil with a sense of dread, or feel that
you're going to DO it?
' — Guest.
"Back 'o f^^ Bench*^ — By one of the teachers.
After the first dawn of spiritual activity had touched Jesus,
holding and captivating the learned men at the temple, he toent
hacff. Back to what? Back to the peasants, back to the labor
and the poverty, back to the bench for eighteen years I Let the
104 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
world and the church never forget that the Lord worked with
his hands for eighteen years, in a little village, and that no task
was too humble for him to do. Back to what? To Nazareth,
only a despised village, but to him a point of perspective to the
Universe, the training ground of a gospel that would change
the world. Back to take the responsibilities of the home when
Joseph died, to care tenderly for the loving mother, a care thai
only ended with the Cross. O, wondrous Workman, beautiful
Son, teach us to go back, not to retreat, but in consecration, to
the bench, the table, the counter, the desk, and be it ever so
humble — be it only a Nazareth — we look upon those dear hands
nailed to a cross; help us to remember that they were once cal-
loused and hardened by common toil. — A. E. C.
Song — "Work for the Night is Coming."
"The Builders*' — By four Junior girls.
1. God is a Builder (Isaiah 28: 16).
2. Christ is a Builder (Matt. 16: 18).
. 3. The Holy Spirit is a Builder (Eph. 2: 22).
4. Christians are Builders (1 Cor. 3: 11-15).
Response — By an Intermediate boy.
Building Implies a plan or definite program and succws de-
pends upon co-operation. Paul claimed to be a wise master-
builder. A study of his methods, as well as those of Nehe-
miah, would insure greater success for many who are trying to
do the Lord's work. Among the enemies of Christ's Kingdom
there is often more unity of purpose and effort than among
Christians. This fact accounts for the reason why so many re-
forms are slow of accomplishment and the opposition to re-
forms so successful. Leaders in church work should be good
organizers, for in unity is strength. — Arnold's Commentary.
"lVor1[ and Religion' — By an Intermediate girl.
Henry Drummond reminds us that three-fourths of life i»
probably spent in work. Of course that means that our work
should be as religious as our worship and that unless we make
our work religious, three-fourths of life remains unsanctified.
When Christ came into the world, he came to men at their work.
He appeared to the shepherds, the working classes of those
days. Now, why did God arrange it so that many hours of
every day should be occupied with work? Because work makes
men. Hence, true religion consists in being true to our work and
in letting Christ be shown to our companions and fellow-workerr
by the integrity and thoroughness of our daily toil.
Prayer — By the pastor.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 105
Outline for Blackboard —
THE EARTH IS ^|||^ WORKSHOP
THE UNIVERSE IS I 1 1 I U EXERCISE GROUND
OUR
LIFE IS ^Wll OPPORTUNITY
LET'S GET BUSY!
Let the superintendent, or some one appointed, use two min-
utes on the blackboard outline before the prayer by the pastor.
Should the superintendent see that the program is going over
the allotted time he should wisely eliminate some features.
PROGRAM NO. 2
TTie following schedule suggests the duties of the superin-
tendent of a school in which all departments meet in their own
separate rooms, each department being in charge of a depart-
ment superintendent.
1. The superintendent should reach the building full thirty minutes
before time for the school to open.
2. He should cordially greet all the general officers, the department
superintendents, and as many teachers and pupils as his duties will per-
mit.
3. He should make sure that the building — every department room
and classroom — is in perfect condition, well ventilated and comfortable.
4. He should see that tfie general secretary is at his desk promptly,
ready to provide the department secretaries with the material, litera-
ture, etc., they may need.
5. He should keep in close touch with the department superintend-
ents and in the case of absent teachers, be ready to assist in providing
supply teachers if necessary.
6. He sihould be certain that everything is in readiness and that
each department opens promptly at 9:30.
7. The superintendent should hand to each department superintend-
ent, before the school opens, a typewritten list of announcements for the
coming week.
106 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
(The following announcements were made in one Sunday school;
each department superintendent waw furnished a typewritten copy upon
reaching the school Sunday morning.)
Announcements
"To-day is Classification Day.
Every officer, teacher, and pupil will classify promptly on
the Classification slip.
Next Sunday the entire Sunday school will be graded on
the Six Point Record System. Let all department officers and
teachers explain this system to their departments and classes
today. Urge all pupils to be prepared to remain to the preach-
ing service next Sunday.
Remember the Sunday school meets at 9:30. Those who
come after that rime will be marked late. Let every one bring
a Bible from home. Bibles lying around in the building will
not meet that requirement.
Hereafter an individual report will be rendered to every
member of the Sunday school on the first of each month,
showing his standing according to the Six Point Record Sys-
tem. Let everybody come prepared to qualify on the Six
Point Record System next Sunday.
Teachers' meeting Wednesday evening at 6:15. Lunch
served free to all workers. Matters of vital interest to the
Sunday school will be considered. Teachers' Meeting Pro-
gram for Wednesday evening:
6:15 Lunch.
6:45 Department Conferences, led by department superin-
tendents.
7:40 General Conferences, led by the superintendent.
8:00 Regular Prayer Meeting, led by the pastor."
8. The superintendent should visit each department at intervals. He
should be in attendance when the department opens and remain until the
lesson period begins, in order that he may not interrupt the services by
leaving during the opening worship.
9. He should also visit the departments at intervals during the lesson
period. At all times this must be done without interrupting any of iJie
teachers or causing confusion in any way.
10. The superintendent should be in the diferent department rooms
at intervals when they re-assemble after the lesson period. Let him note
the promptness, or lack of it, on the part of teachers in dismissing their
classes.
1 1 . The superintendent should carry a notebook and jot down the
strong points as well as the weak points in the conduct of the different
departments. In this way he can gather material for tihe conferenc«
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 107
periods of the weekly teachers' meeting, likewise, the monthly workers*
conferences. This first-hand information will enable him to intelligently
render help to the department superintendents and teachers.
12. The superintendent should observe and note the sources of dis-
order as he goes to and fro in the Simday school and co-operate with die
heads of the departments in eliminating these.
13. The superintendent should see that the Lesson Period closes
promptly in all departments, and that the departments re-assemble with-
out delay for their closing worship and reports. In the event the Sunday
school and the morning preaching service are combined he should see
that the entire Sunday school, above the Primary department, is quickly
seated in the church auditorium by 10:45.
14. The superintendent's part in this combination service would be
to lead the Sunday school in a ten-minute service of true devotion of song,
prayer, and special music, after which the report for the morning should
be made, new pupils and visitors should be introduced. Banner Classes
and 100 per cent pupils should stand and be recognized. Then the
pastor should take charge without a break in the services.
CHAPTER X
THE ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENTS
One associate superintendent is sufficient for the majority
of Sunday schools; however, some schools will need two, and
still others will perhaps need three or even more. This officer
is sometimes called assistant superintendent, but the name
associate is preferable as he should properly not be assistant
to the superintendent at all but should have specific duties
assigned to him, for the doing of which he should be held
responsible. Whether a Sunday school has one or more asso-
ciate superintendents, each should understand what his particu-
lar duties are and faithfully discharge them. There can be
no rule governing the number of associate superintendents a
Sunday school should have, nor can their duties be absolutely
defined.
I. Conditions regulating the number of associate
SUPERINTENDENTS
A number of things would play a part in determining this:
first, the size of the school; second, the plan and arrange-
ment of the building in which the school meets; third, the
amount of time during the week the superintendent can de-
vote to the school; fourth, suitable, available material from
which to secure these officers. Let us take these points up and
discuss them in order.
1 . The Size of the School.
Every Sunday school should have at least one associate
superintendent whose fixed duties would be to take the place of
the superintendent and direct the Sunday school in the ab-
sence of the superintendent, both during the week and on
Sunday. In small schools he would also attend to the work
of classifying new pupils and keeping the school graded.
[108]
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 109
As a general thing one associate superintendent would be
sufficient for a large majority of small Sunday schools; where-
as many large schools would have need for three, and some
schools could use even more, according to prevailing conditions.
2. The Arrangement of the Building.
In many schools the arrangement of the building, or build-
ings, would necessitate having more than one associate superin-
tendent. If the school should occupy more than one building
or if the building should have more than one main entrance,
there would be need for an associate superintendent to have
charge of each building, or each main entrsmce, to meet and
greet new pupils and visitors and see that they receive a warm
welcome, that they are conducted to the department or class
which they should properly join, and that they are correctly
classified.
The old adage that "first impressions are lasting'* is special-
ly true concerning the Sunday school, and the treatment new
pupils receive the day they join will go far in determining their
future attitude towards the school. This is a matter of too
much importemce and too far-reaching in its results to be
designated to ushers.
3. The Amount of Time the Superintendent May Devote
to the Sunday School.
It is frequently the case that the best man for the office of
superintendent can give only a limited part of his time to the
Sunday school on account of business duties or other obliga-
tions. It may be that he cannot lead the Sunday school in a
regular systematic campaign for new pupils and absentees, or
possibly he cannot attend the regular weekly teachers* meeting,
or he may not be able or suited to lead the school in carrying
out a regular training program. In such cases it is often found
advisable to associate with the superintendent men and women
specifically fitted for these and other important duties.
4. The Number of Suitable, Available Workers.
Many churches, both small and large, have in their mem-
bership men and women of outstanding gifts and attainments
peculiarly fitting them for extraordinary duties in the Sunday
1 10 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
school, which should by all means be utilized. One man, who
by virtue of his knowledge and training, should be given charge
of the training work of the Sunday school; another, an expert
advertiser in the business world, should be assigned the work
of advertising the Sunday school. He might be called Super-
intendent of Publicity. Another man of influence in the
community and in his church could and should serve in a
wonderfully useful way in securing and keeping the school
supplied with the best equipment; the department officers and
teachers would find in him a needed friend in securing the
necessary equipment for department and classrooms.
Pastors and superintendents should be alert and alive to
all such opportunities to add to the force of the Sunday school
all such men and women of outstanding ability and qualified'
tions.
In this way all the workers may be utilized. Every phase
of the work may be looked after in the best way and an equi-
table distribution of both the work and the workers will result.
It is deemed advisable in this study to discuss the work
that associate superintendents may do in the Sunday school,
leaving it to the good judgment of the pastor and superintendent
to select as many of these officers as they think advisable in
view of the need of each particular field, assigning each to a
definite field of service according to his ability.
II. Duties of the associate superintendents
In electing associate superintendents for the Sunday school
only as many should be elected as are needed; and in assign^
ing their duties extreme care should be taken that conflict of
duties may not occur anywhere. There should be a perfect
understanding on the part of the pastor, general superintendent,
department superintendents, and associate superintendents as
to the duties and prerogatives of each. There should be no over-
lapping of duties or misunderstandings concerning the duties of
each. Frequent conferences will be necessary to avoid this.
The following suggestions as to the duties which may be
assigned to associate superintendents indicate something as
to the possibilities of the usefulness of these officers.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 1 1 1
1 . First Associate Superintendent.
( 1 ) Take the place of the general superintendent in his
absence.
The superintendent may be away on business or taking his
vacation, or he may be sick and in other ways unavoidably
absent. At such times there should be a man who can step
in and take his place. This man should be known as First
Associate Superintendent. The superintendent needs just such
a man for counsel and to share with him in the responsibilities
of the school.
(2) Classif}} new pupils.
The duties of classifying new pupils should be added to the
duties of the First Associate Superintendent in small Sunday
schools.
2. Second Associate Superintendent.
This officer may be assigned definitely the task of enlarging
the Sunday school as his exclusive work. In some Sunday
schools he is known as Superintendent of Enlargement, in
others as Superintendent of Expansion. He will justify his
position easily by keeping a list of prospective pupils in the
hands of the department superintendents and the teachers, plan-
ning for and encouraging teachers to visit them and write them
repeatedly to join the school. He should be accorded a place
and time on the program at each weekly teachers* meeting
and monthly workers' conference to call for reports and check
off the names of all who have been won to the Sunday school
by departments and classes. Likewise, the names of all ab-
sentees should be assigned to different members of the classes
to visit each week and this officer should see that they are
visited. Telephone calls and letters and cards should not be
allowed to satisfy the demand made for a personal visit.
3. Third Associale Superintendent.
( 1 ) Train the Workers.
This most important and delightful work may be assigned
to one of the associate superintendents who may be known as
1 12 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
Superintendent of Training. To be sure, he should have the
full support and co-operation of the pastor, general superin-
tendent, and department superintendents. He should also see
that one or more training schools of a week's duration are
held each year for the purpose of training officers and
teachers. Likewise, he may have one or more classes to meet
Sunday evening, an hour prior to the preaching service, in
different rooms, simultaneously with the Baptist Training Union
for the purpose of training for better work in the Sunday school.
These classes would continue for ten weeks. This is an ideal
method of doing training work; sufficient time is allowed
for pupils to study thoroughly the textbooks besides the time
is most propitious for a meeting for this purpose. Care should
always be taken not to interfere with the Training Union.
(2) Supply the place of absent teachers.
The work of training teachers and supplying teachers should
go hand in hand. In very large Sunday schools especially, a
number of teachers are needed every Sunday to take the place
of absent teachers. While it is primarily the business of each
department superintendent to have prepared teachers to supply
the places of absent teachers, at the same time the effective
thing would be to have some one charged with the task of hav-
ing these teachers ready to do real teaching. This may be
done by having in training the people who have teaching gifts
and qualifications; also by having them attend the weekly
teachers* meeting.
(3) Supply new teachers.
In growing Sunday schools new teachers are constantly in
demand. A class becomes too large for good work and needs
to be divided, an attractive, trained teacher should be ready to
take a part of the class, teach it and build it up. A new class
needs to be started, a teacher who has been instructed in the
art of class building, as well as in the science of teaching,
should be ready to be added to the teaching force and assigned
the task of building this new class.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 113
4. Super intend eni of Equipment.
Every Sunday school should have a sufficient v^orking equip-
ment to enable all the officers and teachers to do their best
work. This phase of the work presents a great need in the
majority of Sunday schools and, at the same time, it often
opens a fine field of service for some one.
Officers, teachers, and classes should not be expected or al-
lowed, personally, to furnish the means to equip the Sunday
school. It is not fair to them if they are making their con-
tributions through the regular church channels, as they should.
Neither is it best for the work to allow classes to build or
equip rooms and claim them as their personal property, which
they would naturally feel that they had a right to do.
The church should provide the building and all of the
material needed for use in the entire Sunday school, from the
Cradle Roll to the Extension department.
Often the best way to bring this about is to elect a fine,
liberal, influential man, maybe a deacon, to the office of
Superintendent of Equipment, and to him should be submitted
written requests for everything in the way of working equip-
ment (not regular supplies) . After conferring with the pastor
and superintendent and assuring himself of the need of such
things, he would take the necessary steps for securing them.
To this man the task of seeing that the building is in perfect
order every Sunday morning might also be assigned.
5. Social Superintendent.
All members of a church should worship together, work
together, and play together; and the last should be planned for
just as definitely and with the same degree of intelligence as
the first and second.
The pastor and the superintendent should seek the best man
in the church to lead in the social activities of the Sunday
school and have him elected for that particular work. He
should be known as an associate superintendent and designated
as Social Director of the Sunday School.
It goes without saying that he should have the earnest,
whole-hearted support of the pastor and superintendent at all
114 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
times, with whom he should work in closest co-operation. He
should never mature and announce his plans without their
sympathetic and enthusiastic approbation.
Likewise, the co-operation of the department superintendents
and teachers will be absolutely essential to his success in di-
recting the social life of the Sunday school in such a way as
to provide for the enjoyment of all.
The planning should be so intelligent that none in the entire
Sunday school would be neglected or overlooked and it should
be so thorough that all conflicting dates and confusion result-
ing therefrom would be avoided. The planning should in all
cases be done at least three months in advance, and, indeed, it
will be necessary to look a year ahead in maturing some of the
plans.
( 1 ) Class and inter-class socials.
He should co-operate with teachers and class officers, being
able to suggest plans for entertainment to meet the needs of a
Junior or Intermediate class of boys or girls, or classes of men
or women in the Young People's and Adult departments.
(2) Department socials.
The social superintendent should plan with the department
superintendents for a social in each department at least quar-
terly. He should know the leaders among the teachers in the
lower grades and the leaders among the pupils in the higher
grades and should be able to enlist and utilize them in providing
ing wholesome fun for all.
(3) General Sunday school social.
a. Annual indoor social.
If the building is at all suitable, a great social occasion should
be provided and a special effort put forth by pastor, superin-
tendents, and all the officers and teachers to co-operate with
the social director to secure the attendance of every member
of the church and Sunday school and their families.
First, a very brief general program should be rendered, and
then, for the best results, those attending should be separated
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 115
into departments, where suitable games should be provided and
refreshments served to all.
b. Annual picnic.
An annual outing should be planned for the entire Sunday
school if a suitable place for such an occasion is easily acces-
sible.
Transportation should be provided for all. The social
superintendent should have the support of the pastor and gen-
eral superintendent in doing this. Direct leadership will natur-
ally fall upon the department superintendents, teachers, and
class officers, all of them co-operating fully with social super-
intendent.
(4) Playground.
The social superintendent can greatly enhance the attractive-
ness of the Sunday school by providing a playground for the
children and an athletic field for the young people when it is
possible to secure suitable grounds. Simple appliances may
easily be provided in the way of swings, rustic seats, tennis
courts, croquet grounds, and so forth.
CHAPTER XI
THE SECRETARY
(In teaching this chapter, the teacher and each pupil
should have a copy of the Sunday School Board's book-
let, "How to Install and Operate the Six Point Record
System.")
An efficient Sunday school secretary is absolutely essential
to the highest Sunday school success. He is the superinten-
dent's right-hand man. The secretary is the bookkeeper of the
Sunday school. Through his hands pass all the mistakes of
practically all the teachers, class secretaries, and department
secretaries, and he must smooth them out.
The secretary is the real burden-bearer of the Sunday school,
giving more real sacrificial service, perhaps, than any one in the
Sunday school and receiving less in the way of public recog-
nition and credit for his services. The secretary's work is
unseen by the great majority of the people and his work is
taken as a matter of course.
A good system of Sunday school records in the hands of
an efficient secretary is a great Sunday school builder.
Let us note some of the qualifications of a good Sunday
school secretary.
I. Qualifications of the Secretary.
If possible, he should have had some bookkeeping experience ;
this v^ll not only fit him to do his work properly but also give
him an appreciation of the value of accurate, well-kept records.
The secretary should also be able to use the typewriter. This
is not essential, but in operating a modern system of Sunday
school records it is of great advantage. The enrolment cards,
[116]
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 117
class cards, and monthly report cards should all be made out
on a typewriter if it is possible to do it.
II. General duties of the secretary
1. Order the Literature.
Thirty days before the quarter closes the secretary should
order the literature for the next quarter. These orders should
always be made out on an order blank furnished by the Sunday
School Board. The secretary should always keep a supply
of these on hand. This serves two purposes: it saves writing
letters, and reduces the chance of making mistakes when orders
are filled.
The order for each quarter's literature should be made up
by the secretary, in co-operation with the department super-
intendents and secretaries. It should then be passed on to the
superintendent for his checking and approval. After taking
an inventory of the literature and supplies on hand, the sec-
retary should order the literature immediately, always keeping
a copy of the order.
A "standing order" for literature should be avoided unless
it is increased or reduced each quarter according to the need of
the school. The secretary should always order the literature
for the entire Sunday school — for each department and class
— and all correspondence concerning the literature should be
in his name.
If possible a postoffice order or a check should always
accompany the order to pay for the literature. The money
to pay for the literature should be gotten from the treasurer
and a receipt given for it. By pursuing this policy the
expenses of many Sunday schools will be greatly reduced and
endless mistakes and misunderstandings will be avoided in
connection with ordering the literature.
2. Care for the Literature.
When the literature arrives it should be checked against the
invoice; if there are any mistakes, they should be rectified
immediately. As soon as the literature is carefully checked off
it should be filed in the cabinet, for that purpose, by depart-
ments and grades. The secretary should arrange the literature
118 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
and supplies for each department and class in order so as to
avoid haste and confusion when the time arrives for its dis-
tribution.
On the last Sunday morning in the quarter the department
secretaries should call at the office or desk of the general sec-
retary and get the necessary literature and supplies for the
different departments. This should be given to the officers,
teachers, and classes, being certain that every one is properly
supplied. In small Sunday schools the teachers would secure
the literature and supplies direct from the general secretary.
In large Sunday schools which have libraries and efficient
librarians, the secretary would order and check up the litera-
ture and turn it over to the Ubrarian, after which his responsi-
bilities in connection with the literature would cease for that
quarter.
3. Keep the Records.
A complete record should be kept of the work of every
member of the Sunday school, beginning with the day he be-
comes a member. It is the secretary's business to see that this
is done.
( 1 ) He should see that pupils are enrolled.
When a new pupil joins the Sunday school he should be
classified and enrolled in the department and class where he
properly belongs. The secretary should see that this is properly
attended to.
Many Sunday schools do not have a roll of the membership
of the school except as shown by the books of the teachers,
which are as a rule incomplete. TTie Sunday school roll
should show accurately how many members belong to the
school, the name, address, and age of each one, and whether
or not they are Christians. All this information about each
pupil is essential if the school would be able to minister to the
needs of each one in the highest sense. Classification Slip,
form 1 0, cut of which is shown on page 1 1 9, should be used
in securing this information about every member of the school.
The information secured should be transferred to a permanent
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 119
enrolment card and filed in the office of the Sunday school
secretary.
CLASSIFICATION SLIP
Croap Date
Name
Resideace Address Pbone.
Basincss Address Pbonc
Age Birthday Are yoo a Cbristiin?.
Are Yoo a Cburcb Member? Wbat Cbnrcb?
ASSIGNED TO
.Grade Department
. — _ — - — ^ — . Tetcbet
Mikr ODt ID duplioif. The original to be signed itnme<ii Qelf and itiarneJ to tlaiiifitailoQ
cfiict. Tbr dnpliiaic lo be kepi by lb< teacbet.
'ORM to. SIX POINT SYSTEM. BAPTIST SUNDAY SCH( 61. BOARD. NAaitVILUC TKNN.
(2) He should see that reports are secured.
The secretary should secure a report from every member at-
tending the Sunday school every Sunday morning. These
reports should, by all means, be accurate and should show what
each member of the school is doing in complying with the re-
quirements made by the school and embodied in the system of
records used in the school. The contents of these reports
and the best methods of securing them will be brought out in
the discussion of the records later on in this chapter.
(3) He should keep the records.
Not only should the secretary provide for securing accurate
individual reports on Sunday morning, but also for transferring
them speedily to permanent forms and carefully fiHng them.
They should be kept in such a manner as to show at all times
the exact standing of every pupil, class, and department, and
120 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
also of the entire Sunday school. They should also show how
each officer and teacher is doing his work and attending to
the duties involved in his position.
(4) He should make reports.
No matter what information Sunday school records may
carry, what its nature is, or how skilfully the records may be
kept, their chief value will be found in their being intelligently
exploited. Therefore, the secretary should keep the entire
Sunday school informed as to the standing of every member of
the school as shown by the records.
As to the kind of reports that should be made and when
they should be made, all of these important matters will be
brought out in the following discussion of the record system.
III. The six point record system
The average Sunday school has no adequate system of rec-
ords. The number present and the amount of the offering are
the chief points of interest and emphasis, and aside from these
two things there is no requirement made of either teachers or
pupils which would indicate that the Sunday school is a real
school.
The Sunday School Board's Six Point Record System not
only makes requirements on these two points but it also makes
four other requirements of Sunday school pupils. These re-
quirements on which Sunday school pupils are graded with the
value of each, are as follows;
Attendance 20
On Time 10
Bible Brought 10
Offering 10
Prepared Lesson 30
Preaching Attendance 20
Total 100
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 121
1. The Value of the Six Point Record System.
( 1 ) To the pupils individually.
The Six Point Record System is a character builder if
properly operated. It requires every member of the Sunday
school to do the six definite, reasonable things set out. The
doing of these six things with regularity is bound to exert
a powerful influence for good upon the life and character of
any one, either young or old. Let us take a brief look at each
point and try to get something of the spiritual value to Sunday
school pupils who regularly do these things.
Attendance. — Certainly regular attendance upon the ses-
sions of the Sunday school is most desirable. Its value to the
pupil cannot be estimated. Its influence upon his life is not
only good for time, but the eternal destiny of hundreds of
thousands of Sunday school pupils has been fixed by their
regular attendance upon the Sunday school. When properly
worked, the Six Point Record System will greatly aid in cor-
recting irregularity of attendance on the part of many Sunday
school pupils. It will keep the pupil face to face with his
own record. It will also keep the officers and the teachers
informed and will help in regulating the attendance of the
members of the school.
On Time. — Some one has said, "One who is habitually
late in meeting his engagements cannot long maintain his self-
respect."
The Six Point Record System, if correctly used, will aid in
a great way in correcting the habit of tardiness which has
already been formed in the lives of many Sunday school
pupils, and instil into their lives instead the habit of prompt-
ness, which is such a valuable business asset and also an asset
of equal value in the formation and building of character.
Bible Brought. — The Six Point Record System helps to
put the Bible in its proper place as the textbook of the Sunday
school. Pupils should bring their own Bibles to the Sunday
school and the Six Point Record System requires that they
shall do so. Any Sunday school that will put in the Six Point
Record System and get back of it will soon have a real Bible
school with the Bible in evidence in the sessions of the Sunday
122 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
school. Certainly Sunday school helps have an important
place in the work of the Sunday school, but it is not intended
that they shall take the place of the Bible. The Six Point
Record System puts great emphasis on Bibles being brought
to Sunday school. Surely, the desire is that pupils shall have
their own Bibles, use them in lesson preparation, bring them
to Sunday school, and use them during the Sunday school
session.
Offering. — The habit of making an offering to the Lord
every Sunday by boys and girls and men and women, pos-
sesses a spiritual value of inestimable worth. Of course,
to be of high spiritual value and worth as a character builder,
it must be a voluntary matter.
The Six Point Record System makes no demands at this
point, or elsewhere for that matter, but its chief value lies in
that it is used as a "gentle reminder" of one's obligation
and serves as a guard against neglect. The Six Point Rec-
ord System is an aid in giving the Sunday school pupil the
correct attitude toward the money question and assists him in
forming the habit of giving regularly "on the first day of the
week.'*
Prepared Lesson. — Certainly it should not be thought un-
reasonable that Sunday school pupils should prepare their les-
sons every week. They are in Sunday school to learn and
the entire responsibility in this matter should not be placed
upon the teachers. Sunday school pupils ought to study, and
indeed they must study if they make much progress in Bible
knowledge and usefulness.
The Six Point Record System keeps this obligation before
the pupils continually and brings them face to face with the
requirement every Sunday morning. "Line upon line, precept
upon precept, here a little and there a little," is necessary today
to induce people to study their Bibles. As a method of aid-
ing in securing Bible study, the Six Point Record System is
a success when correctly employed.
Preaching Attendance — Weekly attendance upon the
preaching service on the part of Sunday school pupils is of
the utmost importance. They should all attend for what the
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 123
preaching service can and should mean to their lives. The
message of the teacher should be re-enforced by the message of
the preacher. In this way, the teacher and preacher are work-
ing together for the good of the pupil. Sunday school pupils
who habitually go from the Sunday school into the preaching ser-
vice do not long remain out of Christ. The teaching and the
preaching service together are essential to the best develop-
ment of Christian people, both young and old. The Six
Point Record System is a great aid in bringing all these
things about, if properly interpreted, understood, and utilized.
(2) To the Sunday school as a whole.
The Six Point Record System is a Sunday school builder.
It will make any Sunday school using it a better school. It
will also make any Sunday school that uses it a larger school.
Making sensible requirements of people in religious matters
does not drive them away, but on the contrary, all experience
teaches that the better and more efficient we make our
churches and Sunday schools the wider will be their influence
in attracting people to them.
The Six Point Record System means a bigger and better
Sunday school in all cases where it is correctly operated.
(3) To the teachers.
The Six Point Record System will prove a great aid to
Sunday school teachers in getting work done. They should
understand thoroughly its requirements and see that all their
pupils are informed concerning these also. They will not
need to spend much time urging pupils to meet any particular
requirement. They should set before their pupils the 100 per
cent pupil as the ideal, and the ideal class as a 1 00 per cent
class, and create a desire on the part of pupils and class to
attain the highest point of efficiency. This will prove to be a
strong incentive in calling out the best in their pupils. Teachers
will thus find the Six Point Record System a real help in the
solution of most of their problems.
124 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
(4) To the officers.
There are many advantages of the Six Point Record Sys-
tem to the officers. However, only three of these w^ill be
emphasized here.
a. li sets out a program of work for the Sunday school.
It is of great value to the officers to have held constantly
before their eyes and the eyes of the teachers and pupils these
six valuable requirements. It serves as a program of work.
It shows what every one should do. In fact, in the Beginner
and Primary departments and classes its chief value lies in
that it presents a program of work to officers and teachers;
the pupils are too young to appreciate its value to them.
b. It serves as a means of getting the work done.
That is to say, it is an effective method of carrying out
the program of worth-while things which it sets out in such
a definite way. It puts into the hands of the officers, and, for
that matter, the teachers and pupils also, the instrument with
which to accomphsh the work.
c. // serves as a means of showing what is being done.
Pastors, superintendents, and all may know what is being
done by every pupil, teacher, and officer in the Sunday school
by the use of the Six Point Record System. Well-kept records
and intelligent reports, weekly and monthly, will keep all in-
formed concerning what the Sunday school is doing. They will
show the strong points in the Sunday school, likewise the
weak pK)ints, thus bringing the officers face to face with their
real problems and putting them in position to solve them.
2. How to Put the System into the Sunday School.
(1) Master it.
Let the superintendent secure from the Sunday School
Board a supply of the booklet, "How to Install and Operate
the Six Point Record System." These may be had free for the
asking. Let him put one each in the hands of every teacher,
general officer, and class officer. Have them all make a study
of it, using it for discussion in one or more sessions of the
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 125
teachers' meeting. Let the pastor and superintendent have
two or three meetings with all the secretaries studying this
booklet until all thoroughly understand what is in it; then let
them follow to the letter the instructions secured from the book-
let. In this manner they will be able to put the system into
the school in an intelligent way and avoid many mistakes that
would otherwise occur.
(2) Install throughout the entire school.
The Six Point Record System is a complete system of
records and to get the best results the entire system should be
installed throughout the Sunday school at one time, and then
it should be operated according to the instructions contained
in the literature of the Sunday School Board. Otherwise suc-
cess wall be at best only partial. It should not be put into a
department or a class or even into the entire Sunday school
"to try it out to see if it will work." The only successful
way is to put it into the entire school with the determination to
make it work.
3. Adaptability of the Six Point Record System.
There is not space in this chapter to go into detail regarding
the inauguration and operation of the Six Point Record Sys-
tem. One may secure from the Sunday School Board the book
entitled The Sunday School Secretary and the Six Point Rec-
ord System, which all Sunday school officers and teachers
should study. This book goes into the matter in a thorough
and exhaustive way, setting out simply and clearly the whole
matter of the Six Point Record System and the work of
Sunday school secretaries.
The Six Point Record System has been adapted for use
in all kinds of Sunday schools, and below is a list of the
materials and supplies needed in Sunday schools of the different
types.
( 1 ) Material and Supplies for Small Sunda]) Schools.
Form 10, Classification Slip.
Improved Six Point Class Books for each class.
Class Report Envelopes.
126 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
General Secretary's Book.
Forms 90-A and 90-B, PupiFs Monthly Report
Cards.
Form 1 1 0-B, New Pupil's Information Card.
Forms 1 1 and 1 1 0-A, Six Point Credits Charts.
Secretary's Blackboard.
When desired, form 280, Individual Report Envelope,
and form 1 00, Superintendent's Monthly Report to
Church, may be used also.
(2) Book Form for the Department School.
Form 10, Classification Slip.
Improved Six Point Class Books for each class.
Form 280, Individual Report Envelopes.
Form 150, Class Report Envelopes.
Department Secretary's Record Book.
General Secretary's Record Book.
Forms 90-A and 90-B, Monthly Report Cards.
Form 100, Superintendent's Monthly Report to
Church.
Form 11 0-B, New Pupil's Information Card.
Forms 1 1 and 1 00-A, Six Point Credits Charts.
General Secretary's Blackboard.
Department Secretary's Blackboard.
Forms 160 and 160-A, Department Secretary's
Report Elnvelope.
(3) Card Form for the Department Sunday School.
Form 10, Classification Slip.
Form 20, Enrolment Card.
Forms 30, 35 and 35-A, Class Cards.
Forms 40, 45 and 45-A, Report of Department
Secretary.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 127
Form 50, Department Officers Record Card.
Form 60, General Officer's Record Card.
Form 70, General Secretary's Report Card.
Form 280, Individual Report Envelope. Form
280-A, Individual Report Slip.
Forms 90, 90-A and 90-B, Pupil's Monthly Re-
port Cards.
Form 100, Superintendent's Monthly Report to
Church.
Forms 1 1 0-A and 1 1 0, Six Point Credits Charts.
Form 1 1 0-B, New Pupil's Information Card.
Form 120, Visiting Report Card.
Improved Six Point Class Books.
General Secretary's Blackboard.
Department Secretary's Blackboard.
CHAPTER XII
THE TREASURER
Before discussing the duties of the Sunday school treasurer
it is deemed advisable to make a brief study of the question
of financing the Sunday school. Two aspects of the question
are presented in the very beginning of this study, both of which
need careful and prayerful consideration. First, How shall
the funds necessary to run the Sunday school be provided?
Second, What shall be done with the offerings made through
the Sunday school?
It takes money to run a Sunday school, and a large number
of Sunday schools are suffering because they have not the
necessary funds to provide needed literature and working equip-
ment. This situation is due in ninety-nine cases out of a hun-
dred to the fact that Sunday schools are improperly financed.
TTie first thing to setde in connection with this matter is to prop-
erly locate the responsibility for financing the Sunday school.
I. The church should finance the Sunday school
In many churches those charged with directing the finances
of the church, — finance committees and deacons,— concern
themselves much about janitor service, lighting and heating the
building, the printing bill, ice water, fans, and so forth, and
seemingly do not give one thought to the question of providing
means for teaching the Word of God. They arrange to pay
large sums monthly for providing music for the service of wor-
ship, and at the same time not one cent to equip properly the
officers and teachers of the Sunday school; the Sunday school
being left to finance itself and get along the best it can. They
do not seem to recognize their obligation at this point.
[128]
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 129
In making estimates of expenditures for the work of the
church, the obHgation should be considered as sacred and
binding upon the deacons and finance committee to provide as
liberally for the support of the Sunday school as for any other
activity of the church. The Sunday school is the school of
the church. The officers and teachers are the servants of the
church, engaged in the highest, mightiest work of the church
next to that of preaching the gospel by the pastor, and it is
encumbent upon the church to provide all the needed equip-
ment to enable the officers and teachers to do their work in the
best manner possible.
In financing the Sunday school, let us consider some neces-
sary things the church should provide and pay for.
1 . A Place to Teach.
Suitable buildings should be erected by the church, adequate
to the needs of the entire Sunday school situation. Officers,
teachers, and classes should not find it necessary to build rooms
in which to work.
2. Working Equipment.
The church should provide the necessary working equip-
ment for each department and class, such as chairs, black-
boards, maps, musical instruments, song books, study course
books, a good library, and any and all other needed facilities
which would enable the officers cind teachers to do their work
and attend to their duties.
3. Literature.
The church should provide the Sunday school liberally with
all the literature needed by pupils, teachers, and officers. Extra
lesson helps for the officers and teachers should be paid for
out of the church treasury.
4. Teachers* Meeting Expense.
A reasonable amount expended by the church in maintaining
a good teachers' meeting is one of the best investments any
church can make. Whenever necessary a good wholesome meal
should be served weekly to all the officers and teachers, enabHng
them to come together to study and plan for the Sunday school.
130 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
Other expenditures may be necessary in connection with this
meeting, all of which should be paid out of the church treasury.
5. Socials.
The church should look after the social life of the entire
church membership and of all the young people and children
in the Sunday school who are not members of the church. The
church should provide for a reasonable social program to be
put through by the Sunday school with this end in view, and
the necessary funds should be provided out of the church
treasury for this purpose.
6. Paid Workers for Full Time.
Many churches are employing men and women to devote
their entire time to the Sunday school. Some churches have
two or more of such workers.
{]) A Superintendent or Educational Director.
It requires time to run a Sunday school and few busy men
find that they can spare the time from their business necessary
to make the school what it ought to be. Therefore, to meet
the demands created by their Sunday school situation, many
churches are securing superintendents or educational directors
and paying them reasonable salaries to devote their entire
time to the work of the Sunday school and the Training Union.
Other churches employ men for their full time, combining the
duties of superintending the Sunday school and directing the
music; while still other churches employ men to look after the
Sunday school and the finances. Where it is possible it is
always best to keep these duties separate ; many large churches
are employing men for their full time for each of these duties.
In many situations, however, it is found practical and highly
resultful to combine two of these activities. This is practical in
scores of churches with limited membership.
(2) Sunday School Secretary.
One of the most valuable workers any church can employ
is a full-time paid Sunday school secretary. Frequently the
duties of the Sunday school secretary are combined with those
of * 'church secretary" to good advantage. Sunday school
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 131
records are rarely handled skilfully by a volunteer secretary;
they require more time than the majority of such secretaries can
devote to the work. Scores of churches of even four and five
hundred members should have church secretaries, part of their
work being to handle the records of the Sunday school ; while
many large churches need Sunday school secretaries for full
time to devote all of their time to the records of the Sunday
school and other duties in connection with the position of a full-
time Sunday school secretary.
In closing this pari of this discussion wc desire to say with
great emphasis that a good Sunda]) school properly financed is
never a financial liability, hut on the contrary it is always a
financial asset.
II. How THE CHURCH SHOULD FINANCE THE SUNDAY
SCHOOL
1 . A Sunday School Budget.
This should be agreed on by the pastor, Sunday school
superintendent, deacons, and finance committee. Everything
needed by the Sunday school should be included in this budget.
The pastor, superintendent, and all department superintendents
should make lists of all things needed, their cost should be
estimated, and the church should vote the budget. Should
the needs of the school, like a growing family, demand an
increase in expenditures before the year is out the increase
should be granted.
2. The Sunday School Offerings.
The entire offerings from the Sunday school should go into
the church treasury. All the members of the Sunday school
should understand that all their offerings through the Sunday
school go into the church treasury and are used for
furthering the work of all the activities of the church.
3. Advantages of This Method.
( 1 ) Increased offerings.
When Sunday school pupils understand that they are mak-
ing contributions to the entire work of the church, their offerings
132 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
on Sunday morning will take on a new meaning to them. As
a result they will become more regular in their offerings and
likewise more liberal. This is the testimony of pastors and
churches following this method of Sunday school financing.
(2) An increased sense of their responsibility by officers
and teachers.
This will inevitably result. The officers and teachers will
very naturally think more of their work and be more faithful
in the discharge of their duties when they know that the church
is supporting the Sunday school financially and providing them
with the necessary means and equipment to do their work.
When the church is giving financial support to the Sunday
school, the pastor and superintendent can then make reasonable
requirements of the officers and teachers concerning their regu-
lar and prompt attendance upon the sessions of the school, the
weekly teachers* meeting, and also their better preparation for
discharging the duties involved in their respective positions.
(3) An increased appreciation of the Sunday school by
the church.
For a long time the Sunday school has rested too lightly on
the minds and consciences of many deacons, finance commit-
tees, and churches generally. However, this condition is rapidly
being changed as pastors are leading the churches to assume
financial responsibilities for the Sunday school. This action
puts the church back of the Sunday school and very naturally
the church will think more highly of the Sunday school as a
result.
(4) An increased appreciation of the church by the Sunday
school.
The Sunday school is a church activity, and not an organi-
zation or agency separate and apart from the church. This
is a fact and may be stated with great emphasis. However,
as long as the Sunday school is left to finance itself and pay
its own bills, it will be difficult to convince the people that it
is really true. But the moment a church takes over the finan-
cial responsibility of the Sunday school, there is no need for
further evidence. Every one will be convinced that the
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 133
church regards the Sunday school as a part of its work and
the members of the Sunday school generally will recognize that
all of the interests of the church have a claim upon them.
III. The SUNDAY school may finance itself
Churches are more and more pursuing the scriptural method,
just discussed, of financing their Sunday schools, and it is
desirable that all churches shall speedily adopt this policy^.
However, it is regrettable that a great many churches are not
ready to do this now; but they are not. Should the Sunday
schools in many churches depend upon the churches to finance
them, they would suffer for lack of funds to purchase litera-
ture and other needed supplies and, indeed, many of them
would have to disband and go out of existence.
Until the highly desirable plan outlined above can be adop-
ted, a great army of Sunday schools will have to go ahead for
many years, it appears, using their offerings to provide the
necessary literature for their members, and in many instances
also providing the needed working equipment. In order to
get the best results in financing the Sunday school after this
method, two suggestions will be made.
]. All Sunday School Offerings Should Co Into the Sunday
School Treasury.
All the money contributed by the pupils in each department
and class should go into the regular Sunday school treasury.
This is essential for the highest prosperity of the Sunday
school, both financially and spiritually.
No class or department has a right to hold out a part of Its
offerings on Sunday morning to be devoted to private uses.
This is the deplorable custom of many adult classes of men
and women; and in some schools the practice is indulged In
by classes in the Young People's department, and even by
Intermediate classes. This custom should not be tolerated at
all and, wherever the custom is in vogue, it should be dis-
continued speedily. No class or department pursuing a policy
independent of the regulations of the constituted authorities
should be permitted to use the property of the church. TTie
134 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
pastor, superintendent, treasurer, department superintendents,
and teachers should get together and agree upon a sensible
financial policy for the guidance of the Sunday school and
then the entire school should conform to that policy. This
should be done without delay; the sooner the matter is settled
the better for all concerned.
2. Methods of Receiving the Offering.
Any Sunday school that will put in the Six Point Record
System and properly use the regular Six Point Individual Re-
port Envelopes, Form 280, for securing reports, will not lack
for necessary funds to operate the school. This envelope
should be used in the entire Sunday school, beginning with and
including the Junior department.
Under no circumstances should offerings and repKjrts be
taken up at the door by secretaries and others. This should
always be done in the class, under the eyes of the teachers,
otherwise the spiritual value of the offering and the oppor-
tunity afforded the teacher for teaching much-needed lessons
in connection with the offering are both lost.
INDIVtDUAL REPORT ENVELOPE
NAME.....
SUNDAY 193.
•- S
ADDRESS PHONE.
CLASS
Secretary
The record of pupil in-
dicated hereon snould
be promptly rransfcTTed
ro the clasj cifiti and the
rcpolT completed.
Form 280
BAPT. S. 3. BOARD,
Nashville, Teon.
If Visitor, please give
honi« address
Ajiswer Eacb QucBtiop "y pg'
EibJ
Attend-
aoceT
20%
Time?
10%
AmouDt
OScj-lng?
10%
Prepared
LeewD?
30%
Alterici'g
PrcacbV
20%
TOTAL
GRADE
FORM 280 Baptist Sunday School Board, Nashville, Tenn.
Now, let us turn to the Sunday school treasurer and see
his part in financing the Sunday school.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 135
IV. The treasurer's duties
In doing his work in directing the financial policy of the
Sunday school, the treasurer must keep step with the pastor and
superintendent. Frequent conferences will be necessary in
order to avoid overlapping of duties and misunderstandings.
The following suggestions are made to assist the treasurer in
properly understanding and discharging his duties.
1 . Recehe and Disburse the Funds.
( 1 ) Receive the offering from the secretary.
He should always be ready at the proper time to relieve the
secretary of the Sunday morning offerings. He should see
that it is correctly counted and he should always give the
secretary a receipt for same.
(2) Pap the bills of the Sunday school.
The treasurer should pay all the bills of the Sunday
school promptly on presentation when properly indorsed. He
should always secure a receipt for all money paid out and
file same for reference when needed.
2. Educate the Sunday School in Missions.
Baptists have a well defined, worldwide missionary pro-
gram which should be understood by the entire Sunday school
constituency; the treasurer may co-operate with the pastor,
superintendent, and department superintendents and lead in
keeping this missionary program before the Sunday school con-
stantly. There are a number of simple, practical means which
may be employed for accomplishing this:
( 1 ) Make much of the regular lessons on m.issions.
Both the Graded and Uniform Lessons contain many special
missionary lessons during the year; the treasurer may inform
himself concerning these and plan with the officers and teachers
in making them attractive and effective. He may see that
maps, charts, and appropriate and striking posters are provided
for teaching these lessons.
136 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
(2) Feature the Calendar of Denominational Activities in
the Sunday School.
The Calendar of Denominational Activities has already been
referred to under the superintendent's work. The treasurer
may have the responsibility of leading the Sunday school in
adopting and fostering this Calendar; thus making it a great
success in the matter of imparting missionary information to the
entire school. Where the special occasions provided for in
the Calendar are properly planned they may be made inter-
esting to all.
The o Bering should be carefully planned and every member
of the Sunday school should have an opportunity to make an
offering to each cause.
(3) Give attention to the missionary section of the church
library.
There is a feeling abroad in the land that the church
library is coming back. The Sunday school treasurer, if he
would fulfil his highest prerogative, may find an opportunity in
co-operation with the librarian to assist in making the church
library attractive and helpful by giving time and thought to
building a great missionary section in it. By keeping in close
touch with our General Boards he may keep informed con-
cerning the choicest books on missions which are coming from
the presses in large numbers, copies of which should be secured
and placed on the shelves of the church library.
(4) Circulate Home and Foreign Fields.
The treasurer may become the agent for Home and Foreign
Fields and do his best to secure a subscription for this journal
in every home connected with the Sunday school. He should
secure the co-operation of the W.M.U. and the Training
Union in doing this. This magazine is most attractive in both
make-up and contents and will please and interest our people
if it is put into their hands.
CHAPTER XIII
THE LIBRARIAN
In considering the work of the church librarian, it will per-
haps be best to study first the need for a church library. The
question is frequently asked, Is there need for a church
library in this day of good public libraries? This question
we would unhesitatingly answer in the affirmative, for the fol-
lowing reasons:
First, a large majority of our people are not in reach of
public libraries; second, good and excellent as public libraries
are, they do not contain many of the books our Baptist boys
and girls and men and women should read and study. Besides
there are other good reasons which would justify a church in
building emd maintaining a first-class library. Let us exemiine
some of them.
I. Need for a church library
1 . The Majority of Homes Do Not Possess Many Books,
Large numbers of the Sunday school membership come from
homes which do not have many books; many of the children
and young people in these homes hunger for knowledge of
books and would welcome an opportunity to read good books
if they could get them. One good book has changed the whole
current of the life of many a boy and girl. Scores of Sunday
school pupils will not go to the trouble of going to the public
library for books, but they v^ll take them from the church
library. The churches should supply this deficiency by provid-
ing good libraries filled with the best books for the children in
these homes.
2. The Majority of Our People are not in Reach of Good
Public Libraries.
Many towns, villages, and country communities have no
public libraries and the school libraries are necessarily limited
[187]
138 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
in supplying the needed books. The church hbrary should offer
these young people just the books they ought to read. This
is a wide-open door of usefulness which should be entered im-
mediately. The opportunity is great and unlike many oppor-
tunities it is presented to us daily.
3. Our People Need Special Training.
Public libraries do not contain the books our people need
for their preparation for Christian service. Neither do the
homes provide for the religious training as they should. Re-
ligious training has been transferred from the homes to the
churches. Therefore, it behooves the churches to provide all
the books needed for the deepening of spiritual lives and for
equipment for Christian service. Suggestions will be made later
on in this chapter concerning different kinds of books needed for
this purpose.
4. To Counteract the Influences of Bad Literature.
We have already seen in this study that by far the larger
per cent of our young people are not reading and studying good
books; many of them come from homes which do not have
many books, while a vast number of others live in communi-
ties that do not have public libraries. Yet at the same time
there are forces at work supplying people with books and other
forms of literature not fit for them to read, but they are read-
ing them. If any one doubts this, let him investigate the matter
for himself and he will be shocked at what he discovers.
All kinds of immoral, unclean literature is attractively dis-
played for sale at thousands upon thousands of news stands over
the country. The people buy it and read it. Besides that,
pernicious literature is widely distributed both in cities and in
rural sections. In the larger cities it is placed upon the doorsteps
of the homes and handed to the children on their way from
school. The addresses of teen-age boys and girls in the country
communities are secured in some way and it is mailed to them.
We need to arouse ourselves and provide our people with good
reading matter which they will read. One of our leaders, E. C.
Routh, writing upon this subject, has said:
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 139
"We must counteract the influence of unclean literature.
Hundreds of presses are working night and day turning out
immoral books and periodicals which are being circulated by
the millions throughout the United States. Our young people
are reading this literature and their lives are being poisoned.
At the very time when Christian people ought to be most
aggressive in disseminating the right sort of literature, we are
doing very little. We have not realized the peril. Many of
our homes fail to discriminate, and admit cJl sorts of literature."
II. Books for the church library
We have gathered from the foregoing discussion something
of the character of books that should fill a church library:
First, books fit for young people to read; second, books that
the young people need to read for special training ; third, books
that young people will read.
1 . Cood Books.
Certainly any book fit for the young people to read may
have a place in the church library. This would admit good
wholesome fiction, books of travel, of biography, story books
for children, and the best books on every subject of interest to
young people.
2. Books for Special Training.
This would include books for the devotional life, on Chris-
tian service, on soul-winning, on missions, on stewardship, on
Baptist history and doctrine, on Sunday school work, on
Baptist Training Union work, on W.M.U. work and books
deahng with all phases of the work of the denomination. Cer-
tainly, all of the regular study course books should be in the
library. Also, reference books for teachers and leaders should
be included. The field is wide and much care should be had
in study and selection.
3. Books that Young People Will Read.
There are many books in the above classifications that will
please and thrill all of the children, boys and girls in their
teens, and also the older young people, as well as their fathers
140 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
and mothers; however, space is too brief here to catalog
them. Classified lists will be sent upon request to the Baptist
Sunday School Board.
III. Working equipment
Suitable quarters should be provided for the librarian; also
adequate equipment such as desks, shelves, reading tables,
chairs, bulletin board, supply cabinet, filing cabinets, and ample
supplies of all kinds. If possible a reading room should be
provided in connection with the library.
One church with no paid workers observes Friday evening
as social evening. The pastor is always present, also some of
the deacons, Sunday school superintendents, many of the
teachers and women of the church. The young people and
children come in numbers and have a good time generally. It
is the usual time for exchanging books.
IV. Duties of the librarian
We are now at the crucial point of this study. Not one in
one thousand churches has a library and if they are to have
them they will have to be built, which brings us to the first
duty of the librarian.
1 . Build the Library.
It takes money, time, intelligence, and energy to have a good
church library. The librarian, of course, will have to assume
the leadership in building one. She should have the following:
( 1 ) ^ library commiiiee.
This committee should be composed of the librarians, the
pastor, the Sunday school superintendent, the Baptist Training
Union director, the W.M.S. president, the Brotherhood presi-
dent, and chairman of the board of deacons. Or, if not the
heads of these organizations, at least a well-chosen representa-
tive from each one of them.
This would give the librarians a fine point of contact with
the leaders of all of the activities of the church, assist in co-
ordinating the working forces, and result in building a central-
ized hbrary that would prove most effective.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 141
(2) A library fund
There should be a special library fund. This fund may be
appropriated by the church and the library included in the
church budget at its beginning. It should be supplemented
from time to time in a systematic way, as new books should be
added to the library constantly. Two ways of supplementing
this fund are suggested.
a. Library day in the Sunday school.
A possible method would be to set apart a day for this
cause in the Sunday school each month and designate it as
Library Day, the entire offering to be used for this purpose.
Or, a special offering apart from the regular offering could be
taken. Many Sunday schools are utilizing this method of
financing their church libraries and all testify that they have
sufficient funds to support the library and to provide other
needed material and equipment for the church.
b. Annual book social.
There is nothing saner, simpler, and finer than an annual
library or book social for the purpose of supplementing the
library fund if it is properly safeguarded. The fact is, this is
a good way to begin building a library. It will arouse the
interest of the entire community and gain the sympathetic co-
operation of the entire church membership in the enterprise.
The following is a description of a book social, given by
one of our churches and presents practical plcins and suggestions
that may be of value to others. We quote:
"The necessary committees were appointed (Book, Invita-
tion, Program, Social) and set to work, vsath the result that
an invitation went out to the various families in our church
urging them to come and bring a certain book or the price
thereof. The book and price were specified in the invitation,
which was written in rime.
"Of course, the shower was announced in our church bulle-
tin and by our pastor several weeks in advance, and these an-
nouncements were made as interesting as possible.
"It being near Missionary Sunday in our Sunday school,
the book committee decided it would be best not to ask too
142 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
much of our friends, so in very few cases did we ask for a book
costing more than fifty cents. There were some we wanted
which cost more than that, but we divided the price among two
or three.
"On the night of the 'shower' members of the various com-
mittees were on hand early to take care of their duties, the
social committee to label each person and make a list of the
books our guests represented, giving each one a number and
pinning it on with his name. Each one present was then given
a pencil and slip of paper and told to guess the books repre-
sented. To illustrate: One young lady wore a red rose, repre-
senting "So Red the Rose"; another wore silver slippers,
representing "Silver Slippers"; another a lavender crepe-
paper dress trimmed with lace, being "Lavender and Old
Lace"; a young man came dressed to represent Tom Sawyer,
and so on. This proved a very good method of getting the
folks acquainted, as every one was soon busy.
"The book committee was there to take care of the books
and to make a list of them and those bringing them. We did
not receive books altogether as some guests did as suggested on
our invitation, and "just brought the price."
"After allowing a reasonable length of time for guessing
the books represented, the following book games were played:
Guessing game — a review in literature.
What author is —
1 . A river in Italy? (Poe.)
2. A native of one of the British Isles? (Scott.)
3. An affliction of the feet? (Bunyan.)
4. The head of the Catholic Church? (Pope.)
5. A domestic animal and the noise of another? (Cowper.)
6. Not high, and part of a house? (Lowell.)
7. A dark mineral and a low Hne of hills? (Coleridge.)
8. A very tall man? (Longfellow.)
9. Without moisture and the lair of an animal? (Dryden.)
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 143
Relay book race.
Two opposing teams line up at one end of room. At signal,
one from each team walks rapidly (don't let run) to other
side of room. Each picks up a book, turns to certain page and
reads first sentence on the page, closes book, places it right side
up on table, walks back to other side, and so on. In the
beginning of the race the chairman will give the page number.
It is fun to make the contestant turn facing teams, when reading
the sentence. May give prize to winning side.
Guessing — Bookland animals and birds.
(Guessed names of animals and birds, not name of book.)
1. A romance one moonlight night in a pea-green boat?
(Owl and pussy cat.)
2. A horse ridden by a famous Southern general? (Trav-
eler.)
3. A noted cat that called on the queen? (Puss in Boots.)
4. A bird that came knocking, tapping, at the door?
(Raven.)
5. A poor, little, despised ugly thing that became a most
beautiful swan? (Ugly Duckling.)
6. Rip Van Winkle's faithful companion? (Schneider.)
7. An industrious barnyard fowl that carried grain to the
mill? (Little Red Hen.)
Individual Contest
Took large book and had contestants guess number of
pages, without letting them touch it.
Shakespeare Romance
1 . Who were the lovers? (Romeo and Juliet.)
2. What was their courtship hke? (Midsummer Night's
Dream.)
3. What was her answer to his proposal? (As You Like
I')
4. Of whom did he buy the ring? (Merchant of Venice.)
5. At what time of the month were they married?
(Twelfth Night.)
144 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
6. Who were best man and maid of honor? (Antony
and Cleopatra.)
7. Who were the ushers? (The Two Gentlemen of
Verona.)
8. Who gave the reception? (Merry Wives of Windsor.)
9. In what kind of place did they live? (Hamlet.)
10. What was Romeo's chief occupation? (Taming of
the Shrew.)
11. What caused their first quarrel? (Much Ado About
Nothing.)
12. What did their married Hfe resemble? (The
Tempest. )
13. What did their courtship prove to be? (Love's
Labor Lost.)
14. What did they give each other? (Measure for
Measure.)
15. What Roman ruler brought about a reconcihation?
(Julius Caesar.)
16. What did their friends say? (All's Well That
Ends Well.)
The affair was a signal success socially and the library
received sufficient funds to assure its success. In all in-
stances those bringing books brought new books and the
books they were asked to bring. Many brought the price
of the book suggested in the invitations, one brought five
and another ten times the price of the books asked for."
Caution: In giving book socials always ask for good
books, new books if possible, stating the name of the book
in each instance; hkewise, the price of the book. Many
other plans might be originated or secured for book socials.
2. Operate the Library.
Library methods cannot be presented here. Suffice it to
say that approved library methods should be mastered and
used. Complete information may be had from a study of
the text The Church Library, by Leona Lavender, which
book is a part of the new Training Course for Sunday
School Workers. Also, free hterature can be had from
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 145
the Department of Sunday School Administration, Baptist
Sunday School Board, Nashville, Tennessee.
Surely the librarian should master the methods and operate
the library accordingly. Regular hours should be set, ad-
vertised, and observed, and the utmost of system and orderliness
maintained.
V. How TO GET THE BOOKS READ
The librarian should be a person of discernment, able to
elicit the co-operation of other workers in the church in creating
in the hearts of people a desire for books. She should be given
the heartiest support by the pastor and the leaders of every
activity in the entire church. She should be accorded the utmost
freedom and liberty in taking advantage of all the means at
hand for giving publicity to the library and calling attention
to the new books as they are added. The following means
may be used in doing this :
1 . The Church Bulletin.
If the church has a church paper or bulletin, brief, pointed
statements may be made weekly, or monthly, as the case may
be, about the new books.
2. Bulletin Board and Posters.
Attractive announcements may be put on a bulletin board
just outside the church door or on the platform in the different
departments of the Sunday school and Baptist Training Union.
Attractive posters may be displayed throughout the building,
calling attention to the new books.
3. Oral Announcements.
At intervals the librarian may go before the various meet-
ings of the church for brief, pointed announcements, emphasiz-
ing certain books and the particularly attractive features in
them.
(Of course, where a church library is properly installed and
conducted, the librarian is a full church ofi&cer. However, the
discussion offered in this chapter is needed here and is in
order. )
CHAPTER XIV
SUNDAY SCHOOL MUSIC— THE CHORISTER
AND THE ACCOMPANIST
Good music will go a long way toward building and
maintaining a good Sunday school. On the other hand, poor
music will render any Sunday school listless, unattractive and
ineffective in practically every phase of its work.
This indicates something of the influence which music exerts
over us. Music affects the entire being, the physical, mental,
and spiritual. It rests us when we are tired and gives us
cheer and comfort when we are sad. It is a means of drawing
us closer to God and, under its sweet spell, many have been
led to dedicate their lives to his service. Little children and old
people alike love music, so do the boys and girls and strong
young people. Let us consider briefly what the Bible has
to say about music and its uses.
I. The place of music in the bible
Music, both vocal and instrumental, has a large place in the
Bible. By far the longest book in the Bible is a book of
songs — the Psalms. Another entire book is a song book —
The Song of Solomon. Many other of the books contain some
of the most beautiful songs ever sung; for example, Ex. 15:
1-21, Judges 5, Habakkuk 3, and many others.
The Bible also enjoins upon us the duty, obligation, and
privilege of singing and making music. Col. 3: 16: "Let the
word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching
and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritued
songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Also
[146]
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 147
Eph. 5: 19: "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart
to the Lord."
Also notice how intimately associated in the Bible are
praying and singing, 1 Cor. 14: 15, "I will pray with the
spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing
with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also."
From these references, and there are many other similar
ones, we have seen something of the place of music in the
Bible. Let us next consider briefly the place that music
should have in the Sunday school.
IL The place of music in the Sunday school
1 . A Means of Praise and Worship.
Praise and worship should have a very prominent place in
all our Sunday school services, both before and after the les-
sons. How simple and natural it is to praise God in song,
and it is truly one of the best ways of expressing our praise
and thanksgiving for what he has done for us. Many, who
hesitate to speak words of thanksgiving and praise in the
congregation, love to join heartily in the beautiful songs of
praise and adoration.
2. The Teaching Value of Music.
Because of the teaching value of music it should have a
prominent place in the Sunday school, in each and every depart-
ment, at each and every service. What does the Scripture say?
** Teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs"; note some of the great truths and
lessons taught by some of the songs we know and love to sing.
Conviction for sin — "In Evil Long I Took DeHght,"
"Wash me in the Blood."
Repentance — "Pass Me Not," "Out of My Bondage."
The Cross — "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," "The
Way of the Cross Leads Home."
Grace — "Amazing Grace," "He Leadeth Me."
Atonement — "The Cleansing Wave," "Whiter Than
Snow," "Wash Me in the Blood."
148 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
The Person of Jesus — "Majestic Sweetness Sits En-
throned," "The Great Physician," "Did Christ O'er Sinners
Weep," "Alas, and Did My Saviour Bleed," "Rock of
Ages."
The Name of Jesus — "Glory to His Name," "Blessed be
the Name," "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name."
Love— "Love Divine," "O Love That Will Not Let Me
Go," "Oh, How I Love Jesus," "I Love Jesus, He's My
Saviour."
Faith and Trust— * Abide With Me," "Sun of My Soul,"
"My Faith Looks Up to Thee," "Blessed Assurance," and
others.
Hope and Assurance — "Look and Live," "Blessed As-
surance."
Decision for Christ — "Just As I Am," "I Am Coming,
Lord."
Prayer — "Sweet Hour of Prayer," "What a Friend We
Have in Jesus," "For You I Am Praying."
The Bible — "Break Thou the Bread of Life," "Lamp of
Our Feet," "Holy Bible, Book Divine."
Fellowship — "Blest be the Tie that Binds."
Praise — "O for a Thousand Tongues," "Jesus the Very
Thought of Thee, "Praise Him, Praise Him," "Praise God
from Whom all Blessings Flow."
Service— "Work for the Night is Coming," "Bringing
in the Sheaves," "Help Somebody To-day."
Consolation in Christ — "Asleep in Jesus," "How Firm a
Foundation."
Heaven — "O Think of the Home Over There," "There's
a Land That is Fairer Than Day."
Consecration to Service — "Have Thine Own Way,
Lord," "Take My Life and Let It Be," "I'll Go Where
You Want Me to Go."
Missions — "From Greenland's Icy ' Mountains," "The
Whole Wide World for Jesus," "Jesus Shall Reign," "Send
the Light."
As we study the teaching value of music in the Sunday
school and reflect upon what we have learned from these and
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 149
hundreds of other songs, about the great doctrines of the
Bible, we are amazed that we have been careless and indif-
ferent in planning and providing for the music in our Sunday
schools.
The periods of song and devotion before and after the
Lesson Period should receive our most careful and prayerful
attention. No more should it be called the opening and
closing "exercise" or the "preliminary exercises." Not only
is the music in the Sunday school a means of worship, and
not only has it a great teaching value, but good Sunday school
music presents a wonderful opportunity to sing the gospel to
the lost pupils in the Sunday school. It may be termed:
3. Proclaiming the Gospel Through Song
Multitudes of saved people joyfully testify that they were
led to accept Christ through the singing of a song; others
that they were brought face to face with their sin and turned
to Christ for salvation during the singing of a gospel song.
The wonderful power for good in good gospel music! Thou-
sands have been led to Christ through its influence. "The
Ninety and Nine" and "Where Is My Wandering Boy To-
night" have been the means of bringing many lost sinners
back to God.
The Sunday school presents a most fertile field in which
and through which the highest powers of good music may be
utilized most effectively. Let us see how this may be done.
III. Easy to have good music in the Sunday school
1 . The Young People Love to Sing
The children, the boys and girls and young people are in the
Sunday school. They love music, they love to sing, they
have good voices, they are in the singing time of life and, with
just a little planning and guiding, they can all be induced to
engage in the singing.
2. Christian People Love to Sing
The religion of the Lord Jesus Christ is a singing religion
and the only singing religion. Every Sunday school is com-
150 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
posed chiefly of those whom Christ has saved and they may
be easily led to praise him in song.
To be sure, there will have to be a reasonable amount of
planning done in order to have good music in the Sunday
school, but it can and should be done by all means. When
we consider the effect that good music exerts over the young
people and those who love God, we should plan to give music
its proper place in all our Sunday school programs.
IV. How TO HAVE GOOD MUSIC IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
By giving special attention to the following four require-
ments, all Sunday schools may have good music:
1 . Have a Good Instrument.
Either a piano or an organ, preferably the former, should be
furnished by the church to each department. A good one should
be selected and kept in tune.
2. Select a Good Song Book.
A good song book should be selected, one with the old songs
and the music in it. The Junior boys and girls love the grand
old songs better than the lighter songs which fill many of the
present-day song books. There are some song books published
especially for Beginner and Primary departments, copies of
which should be in the hands of the workers with these chil-
dren. The same song book will be suitable for the Junior,
Intermediate, Young People's, and Adult departments. Prof.
I. E. Reynolds says: "It is foolish to think that Juniors have
to have songs different from the Adults. Juniors are quick to
take in things. They comprehend what they are singing more
easily than we sometimes think ... A high standard of gospel
songs should be used in all departments in the Sunday school.
A book filled with jingly music should not be tolerated; yet,
good, live, wide-awake tunes which appeal to the pupils must
be used. . . . The great church hymns have been too much neg-
lected in the Sunday school by some. Much can be accom-
plished by a wise, tactful song leader in teaching the pupils to
sing the great old church h5Tnns.*'
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 151
There are many good song books to be had. The Sunday
School Board's most recent song book. Songs of Faith, is a
first-class song book for use in all of the church services.
3. A Good Accompanist.
Quoting from Professor Reynolds again, "The accompanist
should be a good sight reader and know well the art of hymn
and gospel song playing." Certainly the accompanist for the
Sunday school and for each and every department in the
Sunday school should be chosen with great care. In the event
a skilled accompanist is not to be had, the church should use
means to help in the training of one. Special courses of Church
Music are given at the Southwestern Theological Seminary,
Fort Worth, and at the Baptist Bible Institute, New Orleans.
4. A Good Leader.
This individual may be called the Director of Music or
the Chorister or Conductor. He may be employed by the
church or he may be a volunteer worker. No matter which,
he will have a great opportunity to serve. He should be a close
student of methods of work throughout the entire Sunday
school. He should study the books in the Training Course for
Sunday School Workers. He should understand the charac-
teristics of the pupils in each department in the Sunday school.
He should be a happy, joyous Christian, full of the love of the
Lord. What a wonderful opportunity such a man has as
leader of the music in the Sunday school !
Let us call attention to some of these opportunities.
(1) He should co-operate with the superintendent.
The song leader and the superintendent should get together
once a week to select the songs and confer about the pro-
gram for the following Sunday. The songs should be carefully
selected. They should be chosen because the words of the
songs are appropriate to the lesson of the day, and because
of the truths they teach. They should all be selected because
they teach one or more of the truths of the lesson of the day.
To be sure, opportunity should be given frequently for singing
class songs of the different classes and the favorite songs
152 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
of the pupils from time to time, but the leader should have a
good supply of suitable songs always selected before he
reaches the building Sunday morning. There is scarcely a
sadder spectacle than to see a Sunday school superintendent or
chorister making a page-to-page canvass of a song book looking
for "something familiar," while the Sunday school sits and
Wciits.
(2) He should lead the pupils to sing.
This is an easy task in some places and a difficult one in
others. However, it may be done anywhere by tactful persis-
tence and consecrated common sense. The leader should re-
member that the Bible does not say "sing with a little more
pep," but it does say "sing with the spirit and sing with the un-
derstanding." There is a wide difference between the two. A
few good songs, properly interpreted and sung with the "spirit
and with the understanding," are a wonderful means of praise
and worship, and prepare teachers and pupils for the lesson
which follows the service of song.
(3) He should train the pupils to sing.
There should be seasons of special training in singing for
the children and young people annually or semi-annually. No
doubt in some schools this could be done best by departments.
They should all be taught the rudiments of music. There
should be meetings at the church building to practice and to
learn new songs. The chorister should train and utilize the
pupils in singing duets and quartets and other special songs.
(4) He should organize an orchestra,
A fine chance is afforded the chorister to utilize the musical
talents of the young people and boys and girls by organizing
and maintaining a Sunday school orchestra. In large schools
there is often material for an orchestra in both the Young
People's and Intermediate departments. These may be com-
bined when the entire Sunday school meets together just pre-
ceding the morning preaching service and also for the evening
preaching service.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 153
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW
Chapter I
1. Name the hvo types of Sunday schools mentioned in this study.
Slate the number of officers and teachers required for each.
2. Stale ihe three factors which largely determine the type to which a
Sunday school belongs.
3. What are the four tests of efficdeaicy that every Sunday school should
stand ?
Chapter II
4. Mention the twofold responsibility in connection with the pastor's
position in the Sunday school.
5. Give three reasons why the pastor should not run the Sunday school.
6. State at least five of the things the pastor should do in connection
with the work of the Sunday school.
7. How does the Sunday school present to the pastor a great soul-win-
ning opportunity?
8. State three things emphasizing the value of the Sunday school as an
opportunity to preach the gosp>el.
9. Mention at least five ways in which the pastor may utilize the church
members in service in the Sunday school.
Chapter III
10. Give four points outlining the position of the superintendent.
11. Give an estimate of the responsibility involved in the position of
superintendent.
12. How should the authority of the superintendent manifest itself?
13. In what three ways does the Sunday school present opportunity to
superintendents for helping ztnd blessing the lives of multitudes of
people ?
14. Discuss the far-reaching results of the work of the superintendent.
What will finally determine the basis of his rewards?
Chapter IV
15. Mention four spiritual qualifications which should characterize the
superintendent.
16. State three things which should be included in the superintendent's
consecration to the work.
17. Name four elements of leadership which the superintendent should
possess.
18. State the difference in aggressiveness and progressiveness as applied
to the superintendent's leadership.
19. Give the three essentials for arousing and maintaining enthusiasm on
the part of the superintendent.
154 SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK
Chapter V
20. Discuss the importance of preparation and mention some lines of
study a superintendent should follow.
21. How will a study of the Bible prepare the superintendent for his
work?
22. What should the superintendent know about Sunday school equip-
ment?
23. Why should the superintendent study human nature? How may he
be; able to secure knowledge on this subject?
Chapter VI
24. Into what two main divisions is the work of the superintendent
divided ?
25. Give an outline of the work of the superintendent during the week.
26. What two steps are necessary in keeping the Sunday school organ-
ized?
27. Discuss the unfailing method in building the Sunday school.
28. In what two ways may the superintendent secure and maintain a
high grade of teaching in the school?
(1) Discuss a practical method of training the officers and
teachers.
(2) What are the four essentials of a good teachers' meeting.
29. Discuss the work of the superintendent in winning the lost to Christ.
30. State three reasons why Sunday school pupils should attend the
preaching service. How get them to attend?
31. Discuss the superintendent's place of leadership in the social life of
the Sunday school. Give three types of socials suggested.
Chapter VII
32. What is the secret of good program-making? What should be the
desiE^n of the superintendent's Sunday morning program?
33. WTiy should the superintendent acquaint the Sunday school with the
Denominational program? What is the threefold obligation?
34. State briefly the suggestions about the superintendent and Standards.
35. Discuss the superintendent's responsibility for an annual Vacation
Bible School.
Chapter VIII
36. State the five periods into which the work of the Sunday school may
be divided Sunday morning. Discuss each.
Chapter IX
37. State the essential differences in the type of Sunday schools to which
Programs No. 1 and 2 would be suitable.
Chapter X
38. Name the conditions governing the number of associate superinten-
dents a Sunday school should have.
39. Mention the possible duties of the associate superintendents.
SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFICERS AND THEIR WORK 155
Chapter XI
40. Give sotnie qualifications of a good lecretary.
41. Wh^i'" are the two main duties of the Sunday school secretary?
42. Wh« are the four duties of a secretary in connection with records?
43. State the threefold value of the Six Point Record System to the
superintendent and pastor.
Chapter XII
44. What is the proper method of financing a Sunday school?
45. In financing the Sunday school, mention five things the chiuch should
provide.
46. State the advantage of the church's financing the Sunday school.
47. State a fundamental in Sunday school financing.
48. What is the best method in receiving offerings?
49. How may the treasurer keep the question of missions constantly be-
fore the Sunday school?
Chapter XIII
50. Give the fourfold need for a church library.
51. What kind of books should the church library contain?
52. Discuss the duties of the librarian.
53. Mention two good methods to be employed in securing the necessary
books. Describe a book shower.
54. How may the librarian maintain the interest of the pupils in the
library and get the books read?
Chapter XIV
55. Discuss the place of music in the Bible. Quote two verses of Scrip-
ture in this connection.
56. State the importance of music as a means of worship and praise in
the Sunday school.
57. Discuss the value of music in teaching Sunday school pupils the
great fundamental doctrines of the Bible; and its value in pro-
claiming the gosf)el to the lost.
58. Mention four requisites to good music in the Sunday school.
59. State four duties of the director of music.
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